Mayo celebrant means bereaved families have a choice of funeral services
By Tom Gillespie
HAVING to organise a non-religious funeral service for her brother last year, Catherine Hastings has since qualified as a funeral celebrant with the Irish Institute of Celebrants.
She is a person who organises and conducts funeral services outside of a church setting.
Working closely with the bereaved family, the celebrant creates a unique ceremony that reflects the essence of the person who has died, by writing a life tribute, using poetry and music and delivering the ceremony with empathy, respect and professionalism.
Catherine (61), from Killadoon, outside Louisburgh, told me: “Last year my sister-in-law Lisa and I worked on my brother Kevin Clancy’s funeral, who died in Cork. He did not want a religious element in it.
“We pretty much did the whole ceremony ourselves and that led us eventually to looking into funeral celebrancy and both of us did the course together and qualified together in March.
“The course, which was done on Zoom, was run by the Irish Institute of Celebrants and it involved three-hour sessions every week for January, February and part of March.
“During those sessions we learned about ritual ceremonies. We had sessions with actors, voice coaches, psychotherapists. We had input from the funeral industry and we had to write and perform full funeral ceremonies as part of our assessment at the end. It was very intense, a very good course, well run.
“I am now starting out on this journey as a funeral celebrant. This gives people an option who don’t want to go to a church. We are not against churches. If people don’t want a church ceremony and they want a personalised ceremony for their loved one, a celebrant fulfils that role in the same way that wedding celebrants do. There is no legal requirements around funerals as there is with a wedding.
“We will do whatever kind of a ceremony people want, but we will also incorporate a religious aspect if that is their wishes.
“People are familiar with the role of the wedding celebrant, and that much thought and care goes into the planning of weddings. A funeral ceremony can and should be accorded the same care.
“I work closely with the family, listening to what they want and what they don't want. I offer options, and get a true sense of who the deceased person really was.
“Nowadays, people wish to have choices, because no one style of funeral fits all.
“We live in an increasingly secular and spiritually diverse society and I wish to be able to provide for those people.”
Catherine added: “A civil funeral service can include a prayer or a hymn or can be completely secular. Every funeral should reflect the values and beliefs of the person who has died. Your funeral, your way.”
Catherine has received a great reaction from the funeral directors she has contacted so far.
She added: “Choice is what it is about. It’s not about trying to push ceremony on anyone. It’s about giving people an option who may have a relative who has expressed a desire not to have a church service - to give them a choice and to let people know that’s available. It will be available in the home when Covid restrictions are lifted, in the funeral home, in the crematorium or at the graveside.
“People might want to do a memorial service because they were not able to have a funeral during Covid or people coming from other parts of the world to be buried at home, as well as ash burying or ash scattering.
“I have a great affinity towards those who have experienced infant child loss. I worked in that area for the Jack and Jill Foundation and in Temple Street Hospital. I have a lot of experience with little people which is a very specialised area.”
Catherine added: “The funeral industry is very quick to adapt to change. They have shown that in the last year with Covid.
“Covid itself has changed the landscape of funerals. When this is all over I don’t think we are going to be seeing as many people doing the traditional funeral. I think funerals now will always be more streamlined.”
The Association of Funeral Celebrants (AFCI) is a group of 30 independent funeral celebrants who have set up Ireland’s first-ever association for funeral celebrants. The AFCI aims to create awareness among funeral directors and the general public of the role of funeral celebrants in helping to plan end of life ceremonies.
Catherine Hastings can be contacted on (086) 3859217 or catherinehastings10@gmail.com.
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