There appears to be a plethora of new hymns arriving each year. Every church we sing in has another new 'favourite' that we at Singers for Funerals need to learn, and I am truly amazed at this fact.

We've sung at a number of Catholic funeral masses recently, and the choice of hymns has set us thinking.

There are so many different hymns in the hymn books(the Laudate has over 900 listed). Most churches have a repertoire of favourite hymns that suit the priest, congregation and musicians but sometimes these are not the most popular or well known.

Who exactly is a funeral for? This may seem an obvious question, but the answer isn't quite so straightforward. We believe a funeral service should celebrate a life well lived, offering the family and those who attend the chance to remember, to reflect as well as say goodbye. Therefore, the choice of music, readings and tributes should reflect their choices.

When choosing hymns for a funeral service it's often difficult to know where to start, as there are so many hymns to choose from. We've sung at many Catholic funeral masses and funeral services, so here's some help for choosing funeral hymns.