The role of the Celebrant is to be there for people during life’s passages. Baby naming ceremonies and weddings are usually happy occasions. Dying is sometimes not a happy passage of life. For this reason, the Celebrant must be especially prepared to accompany people on this life passage.
People deal with the end of life as variously and individually as they have lived their lives. Many people are very matter of fact in the face of death, settling their accounts and getting their affairs in order. Others refuse to give up hope, even after all medical options are gone, refusing to consider death as the next step.
This course introduces Humanist Celebrants to the process of working with families as a loved one approaches the end of their life. This course discusses events leading up to the end of life, our Humanist Memorial Service course discusses the actual planning of the service.
by Rev. Dr. David Breeden
Rev. Dr. David Breeden began his service as Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Society in August 2013. He holds an MFA degree from The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, a Ph.D. from the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi, and a Master of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School. Prior to joining at First Unitarian, Breeden was the first settled minister at the Minnesota Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Bloomington, MN.
