THE Sta. Rosa de Lima Parish in Alcoy, Cebu, released a statement Friday, December 12, 2025, addressing a viral post about gambling during funeral masses.
The parish execom said the parish does not forbid gambling or refuse the Mass. Instead, it gives parishioners the freedom to choose between the two activities during a wake.
However, it said in a statement that the parish discourages any form of gambling within the wake area, in keeping with Catholic Social Teaching 2300, "The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection."
"During the Parish Annual Assembly (PAA), the parish agreed to give families a simple and respectful choice: they may continue with gambling or they may choose to let the Church accompany them through prayers and the celebration of the wake and funeral Mass," it said.
"We are not here to control or judge but to guide," the parish added.
"Out of respect for the sacredness of the Mass and the dignity of the deceased, the family must choose only one: gambling or funeral Mass. It is not the parish that forbids gambling or refuses the Mass; rather it is the family who must choose between the two. The choice reflects maturity of faith by prioritizing what is most important. Only one may take place: gambling or the Mass."
The parish execom also said that the decision was agreed upon by parishioners in majority through multiple dialogues, chapel meetings, spiritual conversations, Duaw-Patron consultations for years and was decided on August 15, 2023 during the PAA.
It also debunked a claim that it contacted other parishes to refuse families a funeral Mass, and asked the public to avoid making quick conclusions.
"This is not a punishment to the family, this is a protection of the sanctity of the liturgy and a call for the community to return to the true purpose of the wake," the statement concluded. (CLC)