What is the role of a Funeral Celebrant

Following on from my blog post of yesterday, I decided to do a blog on the role of a funeral celebrant.

A funeral celebrant is the person who officiates the funeral ceremony, making sure that the ceremony flows, encompasses various components such as music, eulogies, sharing of memories, photo presentations and any other tributes you may like to include.

Sometimes the celebrant is the only person that speaks at a ceremony. It can be a difficult thing for a family member or friend to stand in front of the congregation and speak - public speaking can scare people at the best of times, but couple that with losing someone close, and this can be too much to bear. Your celebrant can assist by stepping in when necessary or even reading tributes on your behalf.

As a celebrant, I guide you every step of the way. in regards to the actual ceremony. Your Funeral Director will have already spoken with you about the ceremony and what is generally done, however your celebrant will go into this in more depth and work out an " Order of Service " that everyone is comfortable with.

Having come from a musical background, I am quite familiar with music of all genres. Whilst music is a personal choice, I often get asked for recommendations. I can offer suggestions for people of all ages, even surprising some people with my knowledge of music from the 1920's!

After chatting with a family, often over a cup of tea, I get to know about the person who has passed - their characteristics, their likes and dislikes etc. I have a lot of poems and readings on offer, so can suggest some that relate to their loved one after hearing of their life's journey. Some readings suit, some may not. It is ultimately up to the family to make those decisions.

If there are people who wish to speak and be involved in other ways, then as a celebrant, my role is to keep things flowing and assist where needed. In this case, it is the celebrants role to deliver the closing words and close the curtains in the chapel if requested.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me : - lifecels@gmail.com or 0432 553 193

Always here to help.

SAMPLE OF AN ORDER OF SERVICE - With permission of the family