Serving the Living and the Dead: a course in funeral celebrancy

We’ll begin the course with an exploration of what makes a good funeral, and you’ll be invited to identify your own strengths and areas for development as we look at the skills and qualities, experience and gifts needed for the work of funeral celebrancy. We’ll take an overview of the many and varied tasks of the funeral celebrant, and your first assignment will invite you to connect with and draw upon your sources of spiritual support and inspiration as you begin to develop a strong foundation for your future practice.

In this session we’ll explore the historical context of our work, and focus on the practicalities of funeral celebrancy. We’ll look at the funeral business, from its origins to the latest developments. We’ll examine the overall structure of the funeral service; and consider some practicalities, basics and traditions, and what might be expected of you in working with funeral directors, crematoria and burial grounds. The session completes with a discussion of the sources of wisdom and tradition that can be accessed from the realm of ancestors, and a guided meditation to help us access these.

Here we will focus on the communication skills which are vital to our work as celebrants. You’ll be guided through the process of working closely with a bereaved family to prepare, write and conduct a funeral service. We’ll explore the skills needed at each stage in this process: focussing on listening, writing and public speaking. You’ll be given a list of top tips for gathering material, writing and delivering eulogies, and the opportunity to practice all of these skills in your next assignment.

Here we will focus on serving the living, as we consider the importance of celebrating each unique life, and how to put together a funeral service which reflects and honours the individual as well as bringing together and involving the family and community they leave behind. We’ll also reflect on the power and responsibility which comes with the role of celebrant, and to think about the kinds of challenges we are likely to encounter through this work: the situations we may be called upon to deal with; and the aspects of ourselves we may be confronted with. You’ll be given, and invited to add to, a store of resources in the form of readings, prayers and blessings. This lesson’s assignment invites you to reflect on planning a celebration of life.

As we move to the West, our focus will be on honouring the great mystery of death, and on navigating the emotional depths we will encounter through this work; both our own, and those of the newly bereaved.  We’ll consider the role of celebrant in serving the dead, and consider the transformation which the funeral service is designed to facilitate as we focus on the moment of committal. We will also look at the role of the celebrant in supporting the bereaved and at how the work of funeral celebrancy relates to our own healing journey, before completing the session with a guided journey to seek inspiration, guidance and spiritual support from the natural world. This lesson’s assignment focuses on how to support the onward journey of the bereaved as you bring each funeral to a close. 

In this, our final session, we will review the journey made on this course, and also look ahead at the journey you now embark upon. You’ll be guided to explore your aims and aspirations, set some practical goals, and consider your needs for ongoing learning and support; and you’ll be given some practical suggestions for finding work as a funeral celebrant. We’ll look at the wider context of this work, and at how we can all help to challenge the taboo and denial which has become so endemic in modern society. The course ends with a Ceremony of Completion, which can be adapted to suit your own beliefs, outlooks and practices.