In Ghana the booklet handed out at a funeral is usually called the funeral brochure. It is often large, running to dozens of pages, and families keep it for many years. This guide explains the usual parts of a Ghana funeral brochure, gives sample wording for each page, and lists what to check with your church before you print.
The pages of a funeral brochure at a glance
A funeral brochure guides mourners through the service, and it is a record of a life. Some families call it the burial brochure or the funeral programme. It is the same booklet. Families and printers arrange the pages in different ways. This is a common order.
- Cover. Photograph, full name with titles, and dates.
- Title page. The service, burial, reception and thanksgiving details.
- Officiating page. The clergy, choir, singing groups and organists.
- Order of service. Set out in parts, with the hymns.
- Biography. The story of the person's life.
- Tributes. From the family, the church and friends.
- Family list. The close family and chief mourners.
- Photo pages. Pictures from childhood to later life.
- Appreciation. The family's thanks.
- Back cover. A photograph, a verse or a closing line.
The cover and title page
The cover carries a photograph, the full name with titles, and the years or dates of birth and death. Many families add a heading such as "Celebration of life" or "Burial and thanksgiving service".
Sample wording for the cover of a funeral brochure
Celebration of life
of the late
(TITLE AND FULL NAME)
(date of birth) to (date of death)
Aged (age) years
Inside, the title page gives the practical details:
- The date and time of the service
- The church or venue
- The place of burial
- Where the reception will be held
- The thanksgiving service, if there is one, with its date and church
The dress code is sometimes added here. Colours vary by family and by occasion, so state plainly what the family has chosen.
Sample wording for the title page
Burial service for the late
(TITLE AND FULL NAME)Date: (day, date)
Time: (time)
Venue: (church or venue, with town)
Burial: (cemetery or place of burial)
Reception: (place)
Thanksgiving service: (day, date, time), at (church)Dress code: (what the family has chosen)
Officiating clergy, choir and organists
A page near the front lists those leading the service. It names the officiating clergy with their correct titles, and often the choir, singing groups and organists as well.
Ask the church office for this list. Titles such as Most Rev., Rt Rev., Very Rev., Rev. Fr., Rev. Dr, Apostle, Pastor and Catechist should be printed exactly as the church gives them, and in the order the church uses.
Sample officiating page
Officiating
(Title and name)
(Title and name)
(Title and name)Choir: (name of the choir or singing group)
Organist: (name)
The order of service in parts
A Ghanaian funeral service is commonly set out in parts. The headings differ from church to church, but a familiar pattern is:
- Pre-burial service. This often includes the filing past, an opening hymn and prayers, the biography, and tributes.
- Burial service. Scripture readings, hymns, the sermon and prayers.
- At the graveside. The committal, the laying of wreaths, a vote of thanks, and the closing prayer and blessing.
Sample funeral brochure order of service
Part one: Pre-burial service
Filing past
Opening hymn: (title)
Opening prayer: (name)
Biography: read by (name)
Tributes: (widow or widower, children, church)
Hymn: (title)Part two: Burial service
Scripture reading: (book, chapter and verses), read by (name)
Hymn: (title)
Sermon: (name of the preacher)
Prayers: (name)
Hymn: (title)Part three: At the graveside
Committal
Laying of wreaths
Vote of thanks: (name), for the family
Closing prayer and blessing
Do not print this sample unchanged. Each church has its own liturgy, and your minister or catechist will give you the correct order. You can compare orders of service by church to see how they differ. The officiating minister has the final say on the order, the readings, the hymns and the speakers.
Catholic families should take extra care. Some Catholic dioceses limit what the brochure for a Requiem Mass may contain. Speak to the parish priest before you design anything.
Hymns are printed in the brochure, in English or in the language the congregation will sing, such as Twi, Fante, Ga or Ewe. Check the words with the choirmaster. If you are still choosing, see our list of funeral hymns.
The biography
The biography tells the story of the person's life: birth and parents, home town, schooling, working life, marriage and children, church life and service to the community, and the final illness and passing where the family wishes to mention it.
If it will be read aloud during the service, write it to be heard. Use plain sentences, and time it. If the printed version is long, agree a shorter version for reading. Our guide to writing a life story sets out a simple order.
Sample opening of a biography
The late (title and full name) was born on (date) at (town) to (father's name) and (mother's name). (He, She) was the (first, second, last) of (number) children.
(He, She) began school at (school) in (year), trained as a (trade or profession), and worked at (place) for (number) years.
There is a full sample biography of a late mother or father to copy from.
The tributes
Tributes make up the largest part of most brochures. Each one has its own heading, written as "Tribute by" followed by the writer or group. A common order is:
- Tribute by the widow or widower
- Tribute by the children
- Tribute by the grandchildren
- Tribute by the brothers and sisters
- Tribute by the family
- Tribute by the in-laws
- Tribute by the church and its groups
- Tribute by colleagues, old school associations and friends
There is rarely time to read them all aloud. Decide with the minister which ones will be read, and how long each may take. The rest are printed for people to read afterwards.
Sample tribute by the children
Tribute by the children
(Daddy, Mummy), we thank God for the gift of you. You gave us a home, a good name and a faith to stand on. You worked hard so that we could go to school, and you prayed with us every night.
We will miss your voice and your advice. We promise to stay united, as you taught us.
Rest in perfect peace, till we meet again.
(Names of the children, in order of birth)
Sample tribute by the church
Tribute by (name of the church or group)
The minister, leaders and members of (church) give thanks to God for the life of our (brother, sister), (title and full name). (He, She) joined this congregation in (year), and served faithfully as (role) for (number) years.
We commend the family to the comfort of God.
(Name and position), for the church
Give every writer a word limit and a deadline. Collect the tributes in one place, and ask one person to check the spelling of names in all of them. If a relative needs a place to start, share how to write a tribute, or the samples in tribute to my late mother.
A message to send to tribute writers
Good day. The family of the late (title and full name) is preparing the funeral brochure. If you wish to write a tribute, please send it as typed text to (name) on (number) by (date).
Kindly keep it to (number) words, and head it "Tribute by (your name or group)". Thank you.
Family list, photographs and appreciation
The closing pages usually include:
- The family list. The widow or widower, children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, and sometimes the head of family, chief mourners, nephews and nieces, and in-laws. This is the most sensitive page in the brochure. Agree it with the family elders, and check every spelling.
- Photo pages. Pictures from childhood to later life. Captions help.
- Appreciation. The family thanks the clergy, the church, those who cared for the person in their last days, in-laws, friends, and all who mourned with them. Since no family can thank each person one by one, a closing line of thanks to everyone is wise.
Sample family list
The family
(Widow, Widower): (name)
Children: (names, in order of birth)
Grandchildren: (names)
Brothers and sisters: (names)
Head of family: (title and name)
Chief mourners: (names)
In-laws: (names)
Nephews and nieces: (names)
Sample appreciation page
Appreciation
The (widow, widower), children and the entire (surname) family thank the clergy and members of (church), the doctors and nurses of (hospital), our in-laws, our friends, and all who mourned with us, visited us and prayed for us.
We cannot thank each of you one by one. Please accept this as our sincere thanks. May God richly bless you.
For more wording, see appreciation messages after a burial.
Funeral brochure design
- Size. A5 is the most common booklet size. A4 is used for long brochures with many photographs and tributes, and it costs more. Ask your printer what they offer.
- Pages in fours. A stapled booklet is made of folded sheets, so the page count goes up in fours.
- Cover photograph. One clear portrait, with the face well lit.
- The name comes first. Make the name the largest thing on the cover, with the dates just below it.
- One style throughout. The same colours and no more than two typefaces on every page.
- Readable tributes. Do not shrink the letters to fit a long tribute. Ask the writer to shorten it.
Our guide to funeral programme size and printing explains paper, colour and the number of copies.
Bible verses for the cover or back page
Many families print one verse under the photograph or on the back cover. These are from the King James Version.
- Psalm 116, verse 15. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."
- 2 Timothy 4, verse 7. "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
- John 11, verse 25. "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."
There are more in Bible verses for funerals.
What to collect before you start
- A clear portrait for the cover, and photographs from each stage of life
- The full name, titles and dates, as the family wants them printed
- The date, time and place of each event
- The list of officiating clergy, with titles, from the church office
- The order of service, readings and hymns from the minister
- The biography, and the tributes, typed
- The family list, agreed by the elders
- The words of appreciation
- The printer's deadline, and the number of copies
Before you print
A brochure of this size takes time. Start collecting tributes and photographs as soon as the funeral date is known.
- Ask two family members to proofread names, titles and dates.
- Show the full order of service, with readings, hymns and speaker names, to the minister for approval.
- Check the date, time and place on the title page against the family's announcement.
- Ask the printer for a sample copy before the full run.
- Keep a PDF to send to relatives abroad who cannot attend.
For the announcement itself, see funeral announcement wording. If the family will hold a one week observance first, see one week observance. If relatives overseas are sharing the work, planning a funeral from abroad may help.
Questions people ask
What is a funeral brochure in Ghana?
It is the booklet handed to mourners at the funeral. It holds the order of service and hymns, the biography, the tributes, the family list, photographs and the family's appreciation.
What is the difference between a funeral brochure and a funeral programme?
They are the same kind of booklet. In Ghana it is usually called the funeral brochure. Elsewhere it may be called the funeral programme or the order of service, and it is often shorter.
How many pages should a funeral brochure have?
There is no fixed number. Ghanaian funeral brochures often run to 24 pages or more, because many families and groups write tributes. A stapled booklet goes up in fours, so plan for 24, 28, 32 pages and so on.
What order do the tributes go in?
The closest family usually comes first: the widow or widower, then the children, grandchildren, and brothers and sisters. The wider family, in-laws, the church, colleagues and friends follow.
Who approves the funeral brochure before printing?
The officiating minister approves the order of service, the readings, the hymns and the speakers. The family elders agree the family list. Two family members should proofread every name, title and date.
When should we start the funeral brochure?
Start as soon as the funeral date is known. Ask the printer how many days they need, and set the deadline for tributes and photographs well before that.
Make the programme with Homegoing
Homegoing is a website that builds the brochure on your phone, with the order of service for your church filled in and an optional graveside order. Relatives anywhere add tributes through one shared link, and the family approves each one. You receive a print-ready A5 booklet and a phone version to share on WhatsApp. Start a programme