ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

 

What is it?

The  Acknowledgment  is the family’s thank you to all those who helped and supported them in any way, before, during and after the funeral.  Here is an example of how a family notice, in this case an  Acknowledgement, looks on RIP.ie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The  Acknowledgement  receives special treatment on RIP.ie, as this is the family’s thank you to all those who helped and supported them in their time of loss. So, as well as showing in the Family Notices section for up to 5 weeks, it can also be  linked permanently to the original death notice on RIP.ie, as shown below, readily available any time the death notice is viewed, giving a lasting record of events.

 

The Acknowledgement can be linked  permanently  to the death notice on RIP.ie
and viewed by clicking the “acknowledgement” button (highlighted below).

 

 

 

 

When to publish?

 

• In many parts of Ireland, the Acknowledgement is published  approx.   one month after death, to coincide with the  Month's Mind. 
   
• In other parts of Ireland, the Acknowledgement is published  approx.   one year after death, to coincide with the  First Anniversary.

 

 

What to write?

 

It can be difficult to know what to write in an acknowledgement and for this reason, we provide templates for you, shown on the following pages, as well as a checklist of those you may wish to thank in your acknowledgement. You can also add photos of the deceased to make the acknowledgement all the more personal.

 

 

 

Acknowledgement Template

• The  template  shown below  is  provided as a guide only
• Remove any brackets and replace with information relevant to your own situation

 

The family of the late (name) of (address) who died on (date) would like to thank most sincerely all those who  sympathised  with them on their great loss.

 

We offer our heartfelt thanks to the many friends,  neighbours  and well-wishers who visited our home, attended the wake, service and burial and who provided emotional and practical support for us at this difficult time. For those who telephoned,  travelled  long distances, sent floral tributes, cards and messages of condolences, as well as those who made charitable donations, we are truly grateful.

 

A special word of thanks to (name those you would like to thank specifically, see checklist included with this guide).

 

To those who helped in any way, your contribution made our loss more bearable. As it would be impossible to thank everyone individually, please accept this acknowledgement as an expression of our deepest gratitude. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be offered for your intentions (optional).

 

Optional - The Month’s Mind Mass for (name) will be held on (date & time) in (name church/venue). All Welcome.

Optional - The First Anniversary Mass for (name) will be held on (date & time) in (name church/venue). All Welcome.

 

 

Checklist when writing an Acknowledgement

• The  checklist  shown below is provided as a guide only
• Remove any brackets and replace with information relevant to your own situation

 

An acknowledgement is a public thank you from the family of the deceased to all those who helped or contributed in any way before, during and after the funeral. Here is a checklist of those you may wish to thank in your acknowledgement:

 

A sincere thank you to (include those that apply from each list) and simply write this as a continuous paragraph, separating each group with a semi colon (;)

 

kind  neighbours, relatives, friends,  carers;

those who sent flowers, Mass cards, letters of sympathy, messages of condolence, memorial gifts;

those who  travelled  long distances, called to the house, attended the wake, rosary, removal, mass, service, burial, cremation;

the doctors, matron, nurses and staff of (name of hospital or hospice);

the management, nurses and staff of (name of nursing home or residential care  centre) for their care and respect shown at all times;

the (name any associations or charity you would like to acknowledge) for their help and support;

the (name any local clubs or groups) for their guard of  honour;

all those who participated in the (Mass / service / celebration of life), including (name of celebrant,  musicans  / soloist);

parking marshals and those who managed the flow of traffic during the wake and funeral;

funeral directors, for their sensitive and professional handling of arrangements;