Funerals & Memorials

Funerals & Memorials

What can a Celebrant do for you when you lose a loved one?

A Funeral Celebrant is a person who seeks to meet the needs of families during their time of loss. We serve by providing a funeral ceremony that is personalized to reflect the personality of and lifestyle of the deceased.

We offer an alternative type of funeral or memorial ceremony for those families who want something unique and meaningful in nature.

The Celebrant’s Role

Celebrants are an integral part of any ceremony, taking a special interest in the deceased and the feelings of the family.

The celebrant functions as the presenter of a funeral ceremony or service, Master of Ceremonies, and organizer of the order of service for the ceremony.

We always meet with the bereaved family to gain a thorough portrait of the person who has died and his or her life.

We then prepare a unique written ceremony based on memories and wishes, including a detailed personal eulogy.

If required, we help the family to decide what their public role will be for the service.

We are trained to create custom written personal ceremonies.

We have been trained and have experience in designing and creating a funeral or memorial ceremony that is completely personal, incorporating those unique stories, songs and experiences that defined your loved one.

Your ceremony can include music, poems, readings, and other elements, as desired.

Funeral and memorial ceremonies are priced from $450 which can include a Zoom or local in-person meeting with you and your family to gain a thorough picture of your deceased loved one in order to create the ceremony.   Additional meetings and services would incur an additional fee.  A respectful and tasteful ceremony is provided.

Natural or Green Burial – A Gentle Alternative

Traditional burials and cremations have been around for centuries.   Throughout the ages, traditions changed and cremation was at varying times forbidden by law and by certain religions.  Yet in Roman times, cremation was the usual form of disposal of a human body.   Trends changed over the centuries and was, until quite recently, banned by the Catholic Church.

Enter a third alternative, natural or green burial;  although this method has been around for centuries, in modern times, it has emerged again.  So what is a natural or green burial?    First, the body cannot be embalmed, neither in the more common sense with a formaldehyde based solution or using the more modern methods – although considered natural –  they are still toxic.  Big cold, wooden boxes (aka coffins or caskets) are not allowed.   Headstones or any other mark for the grave which are not natural or biodegradable are also not allowed.

Fortunately, at the time of writing this piece, five green burial grounds and four of them are in Ontario.  Of the four in Ontario, one is in Brampton, one in Niagara Falls, the other two are handily located in Durham Region, one in Pickering and another in Cobourg.  No doubt more green burial grounds will be added in the near future.

So all Durham Region residents and neighbours are in an excellent location with easy access to natural or green burials for themselves and family members.  Having a close place for the funeral service as well as meaningful visits to the burial site, in the months and years to come, is an important advantage.

For additional information, please contact us.  Additional information is also available on the National Burial Association’s website at http://www.naturalburialassoc.ca/and the Green Burial Society of Canada’s website at http://www.greenburialcanada.ca/

The Celebrant Difference

The alternative we provide is different from a funeral or memorial ceremony available in the past and is perfect for those people who define themselves as spiritual, non-religious or inter-faith. Yet, the service will contain many personalized elements and be fulfilling for families and friends.

You will be able to remember with great fondness your departed loved one and the ceremony you arranged to celebrate a rich and full life.