What is a Funeral Celebrant?

When you are planning or attending a funeral or memorial service or celebration of life, you may wonder what a funeral celebrant does and how the role differs from a minister, pastor, priest or rabbi.

In its broadest linguistic sense, a celebrant is simply anyone who celebrates something. More-focused definitions state that a celebrant:

• Participates in a religious ceremony or rite, i.e., someone present at a baptism, confirmation ceremony, etc.
• Officiates at a religious or secular/civil ceremony, such as a wedding, a service to welcome new family members, coming-of-age rituals, etc.

A funeral celebrant falls into the second category. A funeral celebrant is a qualified individual who works with a family to plan and conduct a ceremony tailored to the beliefs, values, and desires of a deceased individual and his or her immediate family members. Such services might or might not include aspects and components of traditional religious ceremonies, funerals, or burials.

Your celebrant may also officiate at other life events, such as weddings, civil unions or new life celebrations.