Peter Stanford argues (24 January) that we should allow secular music within the funeral liturgy. This puts the local priest in an unenviable situation, in tense pastoral circumstances. Peter was relieved that his priest allowed a clarinetist to play “Stranger on the Shore”, at the end of the liturgy in church. However, another bereaved son might fancy a CD of someone singing “My Way”. I don’t want to find myself in that situation, thank you.The Christian funeral concludes, not with the procession from church, but with the burial. At either side of these liturgical moments, people may gather in the family home or for refreshments. These occasions, too, are part of “the funeral”, though not part of the liturgy. They lend themselves well to people s