Ceremonies Devon and Cornwall
"Some say this is supposed to be a celebration of Mary's life' the priest
said, 'and we'll get to that, but not right now. Right now it hurts too much.
We must first mourn her death."
Thomas Lynch - Booking Passage.
A ceremony in keeping with the person who has died lies at the heart of a good funeral. There are no rules. We try to give families the freedom to do whatever feels right. If a religious service is not appropriate we can take the ceremony or help you to. The ceremony can take place in a church, in a field, a hall or your home. Wherever seems appropriate.
We are neither Christian nor Humanist. That is to say, we are neither wholly one nor the other, so are happy doing a full religious service, or one without any mention of God.
We owe a great deal to the Quaker notion of speaking truth, the Christian sense of hope, and the Humanist belief in an individual's potential. We believe that people have important things to say to each other, but in our busy modern lives are starved of the time and opportunity to do so. A funeral creates the right conditions to say these things.
When somebody dies, no matter how many times we have been through it before, or how prepared we think we are, it is always like a punch to the heart. But within this pain is a huge potential for emotional growth. The unimportant drops away, and we can see that all that matters is our relationships with each other.
It is not achievement or status that defines our lives, but love, either the overflow or the absence. If there was enough love in a life, this needs to be highlighted and celebrated, If there wasn't, that too needs to be aired, as it has profound implications for how we treat each other, and how we live the rest of our lives. This has nothing at all to do with whether we believe in a God or not, and everything to do with believing in people.
We think that one brief, shared moment of truth is worth more than hours of comforting fluff.
We feel that death lies at the heart of our humanity.
We acknowledge the complexity of our lives, and the need for understanding and forgiveness.
We believe in the redemptive, healing power of words.
It may not always be possible for us to take the service. In this case, we have a series of rigorously screened celebrants and priests who meet our exacting standards. We are happy to work with any you know personally, or to help and guide you through the process of holding the ceremony yourself.
"The place was perfect. The day was also just right. Thank you for doing
it 'just right' - it is good to know there are alternative ways for people who
love the natural world. Iain used to say 'every part of this Earth is sacred.'
It's good to know that he is in such a place."
Ceremonies from The Green Funeral Company - Devon and Cornwall