Thank you for considering a Humanist funeral. You may have an immediate need to arrange a funeral for a loved one or maybe you are planning ahead for yourself. I am accredited to conduct pre-need meetings for anyone who would like to discuss planning their own ceremony to make life easier for those left to make the arrangements.
If you are looking for a celebrant for a funeral for someone who lived without religion, then a Humanist funeral is a great choice. As a Humanist celebrant I only do Humanist funerals. I too live without religion so both the person and the celebrant share the same values.
After many years supporting and advising people who face major changes in their lives I moved into using this experience to support and advise people dealing with the death of someone close to them. Planning the ceremony for a funeral is not something we tend to do often, or with plenty of time to research and clarify ideas about what we would like. I can help you to focus on what will be right for your ceremony and by finding out about the person who has died, create a personal goodbye.
A Humanist ceremony is unique to the person it is for. I meet the family and anyone else closely involved and help you to plan a ceremony that suits you all. I will find out from you about the person: what mattered to them, the story of their life and how they lived it. We would discuss suitable music and poetry or prose to include in the ceremony.
Using this information I would then write a ceremony, which I send to the next of kin for approval and deliver at the funeral. It can include contributions from family or friends which they can say or I can do it for them should they prefer not to speak. You would have a copy as a reminder of that special day. It will acknowledge the sadness of loss, but celebrate the joy of having lived.
I am originally from Scotland and you can hear that in my voice. I am delighted to include a touch of Robert Burns' poetry where appropriate.
