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As society shifts to more of a secular bias and as other spiritual
people leave the formalities of organized religions, funeral
homes must offer these members of their communities an alternative
to a clergy person to conduct the funeral service of a loved
one.
 For
funeral homes who are passionate about providing the most meaningful
and personalized tribute, participating in the In-Sight Institute's
Certified Funeral Celebrant training program is a must.
Not only will it equip staff with the tools and ability to provide
families with an alternative, but it instruct funeral directors
to take control back of the funeral service. In a time
where families are opting to have services at golf courses,
hotels, or in their backyard, funeral directors need to take
a more active role in the service - if not, they will not see
any reason or value to have the two people in suits at the back
of the chapel to be present at the family's venue of choice.
The personal experience of Robin Heppell, Certified Celebrant:
"When the death of a close friend, a mentor, faces a funeral
professional, there is that automatic compelling need to assist
the family in anyway possible. We all know this feeling.
This past January I had the opportunity and the honour to offer
one more level of service - to conduct the service itself.
Although it was one of the hardest tasks that I ever had to
perform, it was relatively easy to gather my thoughts and format
this special tribute in a logical format. I could go into
great details about the content of the service (if you really
want to know call me at 1.800.810.3595) but the greatest moments
for me came after the service. Not of relief that it was
over, but of the many positive comments such as 'That's the
best funeral I've ever been to!' and 'I didn't want to have
a funeral but I want to have one of those!' a comment that every
funeral director would love to hear."
If you need a little more inspiration, please
read Doug Manning's, "The Funeral - A Chance to Touch, A Chance
to Serve, A Chance to Heal" - a must read for every funeral
professional.
How to explain what
a Celebrant is to your client families?
A celebrant is a person who is trained and certified to meet the needs
of families during their time of loss. They serve by providing a
funeral service or tribute that is personalized to reflect the
personality and life-style of the deceased.
Why your client
families should have a Celebrant?
The funeral is a valuable source for healing in the lives of a grieving
family. This source needs to be available to both the religious and
non-religious people the funeral home serves. More than half of the
families in our communities are not active in a church so there is no
direct connection with a clergy person and Celebrants specialize in
non-religious services.
What will a
Celebrant offer to your client family?
A Celebrant will meet with the family to offer guidance and consulting
while planning a personalized and meaningful funeral to honour the
loved one. Whenever possible, the Celebrant will also have a Family
Time for sharing of stories and memories. A Celebrant has a wide
library of resources for readings, music and other special ceremonies
to help the family design a service that honours the life. The
Celebrant will work directly with the funeral director on the
arrangements and elements of the service. Celebrants are dedicated to
the concept of providing a tribute that reflects the lifestyle and
beliefs of the individual.
Robin Heppell is a Certified Celebrant
For more information about Celebrants, please visit Doug Manning's web site.
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Funeral
Celebrants