Shroud
Shroud, in Mennonite circles a white gown in which the dead are buried, which was made over a specified pattern. In the 19th century its use was probably universal in the Mennonite Church (MC). The more conservative areas of the Mennonite Church (MC) such as the Franconia Conference still make some use of the shroud, and such groups as the Wisler Mennonites still use it as a general practice. Funeral directors have each shroud made to order. Mennonite funerals tend to be somewhat differentiated from general Christian practice in various respects. Earlier this meant the use of a coffin rather than a casket, the coffin being tapered gently from the shoulder point toward both ends, while the casket was completely rectangular; the body was clothed in a shroud rather than in conventional dress; there was congregational singing rather than special music; no flowers were brought to the meetinghouse; the body was viewed outside the meetinghouse; and burial occurred before the memorial service was held. By the mid-20th century many of these distinctive practices had been lost except in the more conservative groups, and in the more conservative areas of the Mennonite Church (MC). (See also Funeral Customs.)
| Author(s) | John C Wenger |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Wenger, John C. "Shroud." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 25 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Shroud&oldid=68080.
APA style
Wenger, John C. (1959). Shroud. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Shroud&oldid=68080.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 517. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.