Do you want to be a Humanist Celebrant?

As you’ll read elsewhere, the Suffolk Humanist Ceremonies Team provides humanist ceremonies – baby-namings, weddings, funerals and other public ceremonies – in Suffolk and N E Essex. We work independently of the British Humanist Association network of officiants or celebrants.

Our training is free, but we’re very fussy about who we’ll accept. We have an unblemished reputation to maintain.

You must be a Humanist. There’s more about Humanism on this site, and on the International Humanist & Ethical Union site, which says:

Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance, which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values in the spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality. See also the Amsterdam Declaration. See also: humanist

You must join Suffolk Humanists & Secularists and expect to become involved with our activities, so we can get to know you.

We don’t include any religious elements in our ceremonies. We leave what we call ‘pick ‘n mix ceremonies’ to others. If you’d like to do pick ‘n mix ceremonies, we can’t help you.

Most of our ceremonies are funerals. You’d find yourself doing ceremonies for people from all walks of life, all ages, who’ve died in a variety of circumstances, but who lived without religion. Most of our clients wouldn’t describe themselves as Humanists but some discover Humanism for the first time through us, and may eventually join us.

What makes a funeral ceremony Humanist?

• When it’s conducted by a Humanist, who demonstrates what it means to be a Humanist through his or her behaviour, and who has the confidence to answer questions about Humanism from interested mourners.
• When its content reflects the Humanist philosophy, without preaching.
• When it demonstrates that religion is irrelevant and unnecessary for a satisfying rite of passage ceremony.
• When it reflects someone’s life with integrity, while offering comfort to the bereaved.
• When it encourages people to think about life, death and loss, while acknowledging their emotional needs.

Some desirable qualities in a Humanist Celebrant:

• Intelligence
• Confidence
• Warmth
• Humour
• Excellent listening skills
• Quiet natural authority - the ability to inspire confidence
• An ability to work under pressure with accuracy
• Emotional resilience
• Experience of life, not just professional status
• A high standard of written English
• A pride in your appearance
• Good presentation skills
• The ability to make people feel better, not worse, as a result of experiencing the ceremony

Some undesirable qualities:

• Over-confidence
• Self-importance
• Sexist, racist, homophobic or otherwise prejudiced tendencies.

If you’d like to know more, please get in touch.