Funerals and Other Ceremonies for Healing

Perhaps the most difficult transition of all is the journey through loss and grief. Ritual and ceremony assist with finding meaning in the loss and support from those around you.

As a certified funeral celebrant and an ordained interfaith minister, I stand ready to conduct a respectful, unique funeral or memorial. We will need to find some time to be together. You will acquaint me with your loved one, offering memories and anecdotes that truly personify him or her. Perhaps that person will have left some instructions for special elements to be included in the service. Our goal is to create a ceremony that honors the one who has passed, reflecting character, beliefs, life. Our meeting will not be time-consuming or stressful, but rather will provide gentle moments for sharing and expression.

Once I have a picture of what your loved one was like and what would best convey that, I will write your ceremony. It may include ritual, readings, poetry or other elements along with the eulogy. A draft will be shown to you or read to you on the phone so that you may make any changes you wish. No celebrant ceremony is ever performed without complete approval by the client. 

On the day of the service, I will work closely with your funeral director to orchestrate the ceremony and assure that it runs smoothly. I will then officiate at the service. If there is also to be a graveside service or scattering of ashes – again, you will have complete approval – I will conduct that as well.

There are many kinds of loss. Loss of good health may prompt the desire for a hospital, nursing home or hospice observance of some kind. Some people now are opting for end-of-life celebrations, taking the opportunity to rejoice in their life with family and friends in the weeks or months before passing. As an adjunct to this, I also can help with the preparation of an “ethical will,” that is, a document composed to pass along such intangibles as personal values, ideals, insights, regrets, and special wisdom.

Other types of loss all too common in our time include the loss of a job or the loss of a spouse through divorce. A celebrant ceremony can be a unique way of taking some of the sting out of these experiences.
Loss of a dear pet or service animal can impact the whole family.

Whatever the occasion, I can create a heartfelt, at times even joyful, observance to help you meet these painful moments.

May you find your personalized celebrant ceremony a memorable one, one that brings solace and healing to you and your family and friends.