The Funeral Celebrant
As an ‘Independent’ Funeral Celebrant I can tailor a service to suit the client. Sometimes they do not want a religious rite, but they do want to incorporate hymns and prayers. Many wrongly believe that only a Vicar or Priest can produce a service with religious content and all Celebrants are Humanists. That is not the case. It is true that Humanist run funerals will not have prayers, hymns or any religious content, but I am not a Humanist; I am a Christian Knight and I even have the Blessing from my Bishop in performing funerals with prayer and hymn contents. Having said that, I will perform any funeral for those of other beliefs, or for those who have none.
Every service is a bespoke ceremony for each individual. As a Celebrant I would contact the family and find out how they wish the service to progress. If they are in a quandary, I have examples of readings, prayers, hymns and music they may assist. Usually the client would of already seen the Funeral Director and would have been helped with many of the basic production, but I can help and work with the Funeral Director to ensure that your loved one has had the best ‘celebration of life’ that you can present.
Many times the hurt of losing a loved one can shut down our usual thought process and that sometimes we feel that we cannot function on all cylinders – so to speak. Undertakers and Celebrants understand this only too well. As a Celebrant I would not expect to glean everything at one visit or phone call. My work may incorporate a visit or two, or many eMails and telephone calls to produce the work that you will be proud to submit for the service. On completion I would always show you my work, so you know beforehand how I have presented the service and ensure that I have names and contents correctly submitted as you would want it.
I would hope to unlock those loving thoughts that you wish to share at the funeral. Not as a celebration of death, but as a celebration of life; to show and express how lovely that loved person was and all the wonderful stories that will bring the memory of them to life. There are many amazing people who have done many great things. However to family and friends, this person was their loved one and what are remembered are their quirky idiosyncrasies; happy memories that were shared with family and friends; anecdotal stories that bring them back in our memories and that we wish to share. So that everyone can share in that love and memory and they too can celebrate their life.
Every service is a bespoke ceremony for each individual. As a Celebrant I would contact the family and find out how they wish the service to progress. If they are in a quandary, I have examples of readings, prayers, hymns and music they may assist. Usually the client would of already seen the Funeral Director and would have been helped with many of the basic production, but I can help and work with the Funeral Director to ensure that your loved one has had the best ‘celebration of life’ that you can present.
Many times the hurt of losing a loved one can shut down our usual thought process and that sometimes we feel that we cannot function on all cylinders – so to speak. Undertakers and Celebrants understand this only too well. As a Celebrant I would not expect to glean everything at one visit or phone call. My work may incorporate a visit or two, or many eMails and telephone calls to produce the work that you will be proud to submit for the service. On completion I would always show you my work, so you know beforehand how I have presented the service and ensure that I have names and contents correctly submitted as you would want it.
I would hope to unlock those loving thoughts that you wish to share at the funeral. Not as a celebration of death, but as a celebration of life; to show and express how lovely that loved person was and all the wonderful stories that will bring the memory of them to life. There are many amazing people who have done many great things. However to family and friends, this person was their loved one and what are remembered are their quirky idiosyncrasies; happy memories that were shared with family and friends; anecdotal stories that bring them back in our memories and that we wish to share. So that everyone can share in that love and memory and they too can celebrate their life.
I became a Funeral Celebrant in 2010 after attending so many funerals that to me were impersonal and botched. It is a distressing time for family and friends and funerals are a need for closure. So when anyone has to undergo a poor show to say goodbye to a loved one, it will not help with the closure that they all need.
Paul Tredgett
