Services

Funeral Celebrant role

I would like to arrange a beautifully organised, smoothly conducted and eloquently presented ceremony, that creates a moving and fitting tribute to the person you are honouring.

You have so many choices in celebrating and honouring your loved one, and with your input and by working together, I can assist with personalising your celebration.

The task of a Funeral Celebrant involves a great deal of involved work, with gathering information and putting it together very quickly and ensuring accuracy, under the pressure of such an intense timetable.

My services and fees cover:

• Meeting with the Family in person to discuss the form, ideas and content of the Service.
• Being available to discuss the Service from the time of the initial contact until the Service is complete – as long as is needed.
• All the follow-up time.
• Providing information in respect to Bereavement support.
• Providing appropriate resources.  Suggested readings of hope, grief or joy,  may consist of verses, prayers, blessings, symbolisms, scriptures or speeches of remembrance.  I will incorporate and co-ordinate the ceremony design so it will be beautifully organised and the time element will be part of a well-structured whole.
• Organising, checking and finalising the ‘Order of Service’.
• The time taken and writing the Service Ceremony.
• Writing or assisting with the Eulogy.  This is perhaps the most important part of the service allowing for a fitting tribute to your loved one.
• Assisting Family and Friends wanting to participate for example, reading tributes, performing music, or reading verses or prayers.
• Helping you to choose music, either live or recorded.  Music plays an important part in Funerals.  Music has a powerful effect upon the human soul.  It makes us feel and experience; it can inspire, move, bring smiles, create laughter and provide comfort.
• Providing other options of Symbolisms such as Lighting of Candles, special items placed on the casket or on a table, the placing of flowers by Family Members or Friends during the Reflection or the release of balloons, doves or butterflies at the end of the Service.
• Integrating additional Cultural or Family needs into the Service.
• Liaising with the Funeral Director to see that the wishes for the family are conveyed and that the ‘Order of Service’ to be printed is correct;
• Conducting and leading the Service in accordance with the wishes of the Family with the appropriate conveyance in dignity, sympathy and professionalism and in accordance with the Code of Practice.
• Discussions involving showing  Photographs by video, capturing special memories.
• Acknowledgement of War Service.
• Acknowledgement of Service Organisation, Lodge, etc.
• Displaying of Memorabilia – sporting, hobbies or war service items.
• Supplying the Family with a Presentation Copy of the Service.

 

Funerals – ‘Celebration of Life – Remembrance Ceremony’

Funerals have changed during the last years providing many choices.

A traditional ceremony to a non-traditional  ceremony, or one which uses traditional elements from other cultures, religious, non-religious or spiritual.  All aspects of life can be expressed very movingly, creating a very beautiful expression of the family’s loss and love, as well as their hope.

The ceremony is a defining moment and forms a clear point of memory for the future, enabling a formal or ceremonial expression of grief and remembrance and honouring of the person, therefore it is important that as a Celebrant, I can create a ceremony that most appropriately expresses the feelings of the immediate family, does justice to the tribute of the deceased, and offers a moving occasion for all present.

Memorial Ceremony

A memorial is a service that is conducted without your loved one’s body being present.

Exercise your own imagination and choose a time, place and structure of the gathering, that reflects and acknowledges the life of your unique loved one – anywhere from the Funeral Home to a Park, Garden or Beach.

I can arrange an appropriate ceremony, a fitting tribute to the person you are honouring, to signify the importance of this time.

Scattering or Placing of Ashes

Scattering or placing of the ashes, may be done at any future date, when you are sure you are ready.

There are various reasons why the decision is made to ‘scatter the ashes’ including the love of nature, the seas or being uncomfortable with the idea of a formal cemetery burial.

I can arrange an appropriate ceremony, a fitting tribute to the person you are honouring, to signify the importance of this time.

Pre-planning and arranging your own Funeral Ceremony

We plan our own weddings, our birthdays, other celebrations, and equally as important as it is to prepare our own will, it is important to make our family and loved ones aware of what is preferred for our own Funeral – another ‘Celebration of Life’.

It isn’t something we really want to think about, but in some ways, it is easier while we are healthy and the possibility of this event seems so far away.  It provides you with the opportunity to have your own input and take some burden off your family and loved ones and can ensure you of your own personalised and appropriate ceremony.

Many pre-plan and pre-pay for their Funeral but thinking about the actual ceremony and its contents is another step.

There are so many options  to make your ceremony personalised, special  and meaningful, alleviating the responsibility placed on family and loved ones, especially on those who may not know what is required at a time when there is sometimes only days to prepare.

Choosing your favourite music, songs, poems, readings, prayers, documenting your life, thoughts and funny stories, the place the funeral is to be held, involvement of family and friends, can all assist your family during that very difficult time.

When we lose a loved one, time seems to stand still.  We are faced with the past, the present and the future all at once – our life utterly destroyed.
We want to cherish the memory of our loved one but grief takes over and there are so many emotions.
Grief is an expression of our love and that is why we feel such pain and it hurts so much.
How can we acknowledge and recognise the beauty and the purpose of their life, and best celebrate their life when it is difficult to get our mind into order?
Our loved ones would not want us to grieve in hurt or pain, but grieve in the joy that they gave us, that they received and that they shared.

If we can put ourselves into the shoes of a bereaved person, we can make it easier on those we leave behind. Grieving is part of the healing process and we can allow them to focus on this and on us rather than having to deal with the practicable issues associated with our passing.

You can have your ceremony and wishes documented and filed away, filed with your will or given to your Executor or another person, giving you peace of mind.

As your Hobart Funeral Celebrant, I would like to be able to help you achieve this.