When you are planning a funeral, you quickly learn that there are two kinds of “paperwork.” There is the kind you never want to see again, like permits, authorizations, and invoices. And then there is the kind that actually helps people get through the day with you. A funeral order of service booklet falls into that second category. Done well, it is not a formality. It is a steady, gentle guide that tells guests what is happening, where they are in the ceremony, and how to participate without feeling lost.
Families often start by searching for an order of service booklet or a funeral order of service template because they know they want something more complete than a basic handout. If you have ever attended a service where you were trying to follow along with hymns, readings, names, or prayers, you understand why. A single-page program can be perfectly appropriate, but a booklet has room for the details that matter: words people will want to read, keep, and revisit later.
What an Order of Service Booklet Is, and How It Differs From a Basic Program
A basic program is usually a single sheet, folded or unfolded, that lists the sequence of the service: an opening song, a reading, remarks, a closing. It answers, “What is happening?” A booklet answers, “What is happening, and how can people follow along?” That is the practical difference, but the emotional difference is just as important. A booklet makes the service feel held and intentional, especially when the ceremony includes congregational participation.
If you are planning a church funeral program or a multi-part memorial, the booklet becomes a place to include complete texts: hymn lyrics, responsive prayers, Scripture readings, a printed obituary, and any special ritual moments. It is also where you can place the names that matter to your family—pallbearers, musicians, clergy, readers, and those giving eulogies—without crowding the page.
It is worth naming something families do not always realize at first: the booklet does not have to be “perfect.” It does not have to tell the whole story of a life. It simply needs to be true, clear, and usable. If you are exhausted, the best booklet is the one you can actually produce in time and feel good about.
When a Booklet Makes the Most Sense
A funeral service booklet is especially helpful when the service includes multiple readings and songs, when the congregation is expected to respond aloud, or when guests are coming from different traditions and may not know the flow. It can also be valuable when there are significant logistics to communicate gently: a procession to the cemetery, a second gathering later, or instructions about memorial donations.
It can also make sense when the family is choosing cremation and wants to explain next steps in a calm, non-clinical way. The National Funeral Directors Association notes that among those who prefer cremation for themselves, a meaningful share prefer keeping remains in an urn at home and another significant share prefer scattering or cemetery interment. That variety is exactly why families benefit from writing down the plan, even if it is a “for now” plan. A booklet gives you space to say, “We will gather again in the spring,” or “A private committal will follow,” without having to repeat it to every person in the receiving line.
What to Include in an Order of Service Booklet
Most booklets work best when they start simple and then build. Think of the booklet as having three jobs: identify who the service honors, guide people through the ceremony, and offer a place for memory and gratitude.
The cover is usually the most spare. Often it is simply “In Loving Memory of,” a full name, dates, and the service date and location. Inside, families frequently include a photo and a short obituary or life story. This is also a natural place for a favorite line that feels like the person—an uncomplicated quote, a verse, a lyric—something that gives guests an emotional anchor before the service begins.
Then comes the heart: the order of service wording. In a booklet, you can list the order and also include the words people will need. If you are including hymns, consider printing at least the verses you will sing. If you are including a responsive prayer or litany, print it in full so guests are not guessing. If there are readings, you can include the full text or, at minimum, the reference and a brief line that identifies who is reading.
Finally, the booklet can hold what people often want most in the days after: acknowledgments. It is completely appropriate to include a short thank-you to those who supported the family, as well as details about a reception, repast, or gathering. If the family is inviting donations, you can mention the organization and the preferred method in a way that feels gentle rather than transactional.
And because memorial decisions often run alongside service planning, many families also include a line about disposition plans, especially when cremation is involved. If your loved one will be present in an urn at the ceremony, you might include a sentence that explains the plan for the ashes. If you are still deciding, it is also fine to say that. Funeral planning is allowed to be unfinished, and your booklet can reflect that honestly.
Church Services: What Changes in a Booklet
In a church setting, your booklet is doing something very specific: it is supporting communal worship. That means the details matter more than you might expect. You are not only listing items, you are helping people participate.
For a Catholic funeral, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops explains that the funeral rites are typically celebrated in multiple parts, often including a vigil, the funeral liturgy (frequently a Funeral Mass), and the rite of committal. If your booklet is for the Funeral Mass itself, you can treat it like a worship aid: list the flow clearly and place hymns and readings where people will use them. If you are creating a more comprehensive booklet for the full sequence across days, you may instead produce separate pieces for each part, because guests often attend only one portion.
One practical detail that can prevent stress later is honoring the rules of the space you are in. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops notes that, in the funeral liturgy, Scripture readings are not replaced by non-biblical readings. That does not mean you cannot include a poem or a favorite prose reading at all; it simply means placement matters. Many families place non-scriptural readings at the vigil, at a reception, or as printed text in the booklet outside the liturgy itself, depending on parish guidance.
If cremation is part of your plan, you may also find it helpful to know what your tradition expects. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops discusses how cremation is permitted while emphasizing reverence for the body and the significance of respectful handling and final placement. For many families, this becomes a booklet question: do we include a line about an urn present at Mass, or a later committal? The booklet can carry those details in a way that prevents confusion and supports the family’s plan.
How to Place Hymns, Readings, and Tributes Without Making the Booklet Hard to Use
When families put together a funeral service outline in booklet form, the most common mistake is trying to include everything on the page where it feels meaningful, rather than where it will be used. A better approach is to imagine someone holding the booklet in a pew. They should not have to flip constantly, and they should not be surprised by where things appear.
As a general rhythm, it helps to place lyrics immediately after you list a hymn, or at least on the facing page, so the congregation can sing without hunting. Place the name of the reader right above the reading, not only in a separate “participants” list. If there will be a eulogy, it is kind to guests to label it clearly as a tribute, because in many traditions the homily or sermon has a different purpose than a family remembrance.
Also, give yourself permission to keep certain items brief. You do not always need to print an entire multi-page obituary if a shorter life sketch is enough. You can include a QR code in many designs, but if you are trying to keep the booklet unadorned and timeless, you can simply point guests to an online obituary elsewhere. The goal is usability, not volume.
Examples of Funeral Booklet Outlines
Every family asks for an order of service funeral template, but what you really need is an example that fits your setting. Think of these as starting points, not rules. Your clergy, celebrant, or funeral director may guide the final structure based on local practice.
Catholic Funeral Mass Booklet Example
- Cover: In Loving Memory, name, dates, parish, date and time
- Opening: words of welcome, entrance hymn
- Liturgy of the Word: first reading, responsorial psalm, second reading (if used), Gospel, homily
- Prayer of the Faithful: intercessions
- Liturgy of the Eucharist: offertory hymn, Eucharistic prayer, communion hymn
- Final Commendation and Farewell: prayers and song
- Recessional hymn and notes about committal or gathering
- Acknowledgments and memorial donation note
Protestant Church Funeral Program Booklet Example
- Cover: name, dates, service details, photo
- Welcome and opening prayer
- Hymn or congregational song
- Scripture reading(s) and reflections
- Eulogy or tributes from family and friends
- Message or sermon
- Closing prayer, benediction, and recessional music
- Reception information and acknowledgments
Nonreligious Memorial Service Order of Service Example
- Cover: celebration of life wording, photo, dates
- Opening music and welcome
- Life story or obituary reading
- Readings: poems, letters, or favorite excerpts
- Tributes and shared memories
- Moment of silence or reflection
- Closing remarks, final song, and invitation to a gathering
- Optional: notes about a later scattering or private committal
Printing and Binding Tips That Make a Booklet Feel Professional
Most funeral booklets are built on standard paper sizes, because it keeps printing fast and affordable. The most common approach is an 8.5 x 11 sheet folded in half to create a 5.5 x 8.5 booklet. That size is easy to hold and easy to stack at the entrance of a church or chapel. If you want a larger format, you can create an 8.5 x 11 booklet as well, but it can feel less discreet in a pew and tends to be heavier if you include many pages.
Booklets are often “saddle-stitched,” meaning they are stapled along the fold. Practically, this usually means your total page count works best in sets that fold cleanly, and many families aim for a modest number of pages so the booklet does not feel bulky. If you want a thicker keepsake with many photos, perfect binding or coil binding may be options, but those typically require more turnaround time. In the most time-sensitive situations, a simpler saddle-stitched booklet is still the best combination of speed and dignity.
Paper choice also matters more than people expect. A heavier cover stock helps the booklet feel steady in someone’s hands, and a matte finish tends to photograph well without glare under church lighting. Inside pages can be lighter. If you include many photos, consider a slightly heavier interior paper so images do not show through, especially if you are printing in black and white and want text to remain crisp.
How Cremation and Memorial Choices Fit Into the Booklet
Families sometimes wonder whether it is appropriate to mention cremation-related choices in a service booklet. In many cases, it is not only appropriate, it is helpful. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, among people who prefer cremation, a meaningful portion prefer keeping cremated remains at home in an urn, while others prefer scattering, cemetery interment, or dividing remains among relatives. That reality matches what families experience: you may have one person who wants a cemetery niche, another who wants a scattering ceremony, and someone else who wants a keepsake close by. A booklet can acknowledge those needs kindly and set expectations without turning the service into a debate.
If you are choosing cremation urns, you may find it helpful to link the memorial plan to the service plan. An urn that will be displayed at home, an urn that will be interred, and an urn intended for travel or scattering may not be the same style. If you are browsing options, Funeral.com’s collection of cremation urns for ashes covers full-size designs for a home display or niche placement, while small cremation urns and keepsake urns can support sharing among family members without pressure.
For many families, the question is not only “Which urn?” but “How do we live with this choice day to day?” If you are considering keeping ashes at home, Funeral.com’s guide on keeping ashes at home walks through practical placement, household comfort, and respectful handling in plain language. If you are trying to decide whether one urn is enough, or whether you want a main urn plus keepsakes, the article on How To Choose a Cremation Urn can help you match the memorial to your real plan, not an imagined one.
If your family is drawn to wearable remembrance, cremation jewelry may fit naturally into the conversation, especially for people who will travel or who find comfort in something private. Funeral.com’s cremation jewelry collections include cremation necklaces and other pieces designed to hold a symbolic amount, and the guide Cremation Jewelry 101 explains how these pieces work and who they are right for in an unpressured way.
For families planning scattering at sea or on water, a booklet can also be a place to name a future ceremony. If you are considering a water burial for cremated remains, Funeral.com’s guide to water burial explains what the ceremony typically involves and what to plan for, which can help you write a single reassuring line in the booklet without needing to explain details during the service.
And of course, cost is part of planning, even when you wish it were not. The National Funeral Directors Association reports national median costs for funerals with burial and for funerals with cremation, and understanding those averages can make decisions feel less foggy. If you are comparing options and trying to understand how memorial items fit into the overall budget, Funeral.com’s guides on how much does cremation cost and average funeral and cremation costs can help you approach the numbers without losing sight of what matters.
Pet Loss Services and Pet Memorial Booklets
Not every order of service booklet is for a human funeral. Families increasingly create small memorial gatherings for pets, especially when a pet was a daily member of the household. In those moments, a booklet can be as simple as a photo, a short tribute, a poem, and a list of shared memories. If you are selecting a memorial item, Funeral.com’s collections of pet cremation urns and pet figurine cremation urns include designs that feel like the pet, not a generic container. And if your family wants to share a portion of ashes among multiple people, pet keepsake cremation urns can make that possible in a way that is tender rather than complicated.
If you are unsure where to begin, Funeral.com’s article on pet urns for ashes can help you match size, style, and personalization to what you are trying to honor. Even in pet loss, the same truth shows up: the right memorial choice is the one that makes love feel placed, not erased.
A Final Word: The Booklet Is a Form of Care
When you make an order of service booklet, you are doing something quietly generous. You are making it easier for people to show up. You are giving them the words when they do not have their own. You are building a keepsake that will outlast the flowers, and in many cases, it will be tucked into a Bible, a desk drawer, or a memory box for years.
If you keep the structure clear, place texts where they are used, and choose language that sounds like your family, your booklet will do what it is meant to do: guide the room gently through one of the hardest days, and leave behind something steady enough to hold onto later.
