Mr - Humanist Society Scotland … · Web viewWhen the time comes, it can be a ... you still can have a memorial ceremony to celebrate your life which would allow your loved ones

Funeral Wishes

When the time comes, it can be a great comfort to your nearest and dearest to be able to conform to your wishes, and by leaving written instructions, you can avoid any uncertainty on their part as to your intentions.

The purpose of this document is to help you to plan your own funeral. We advise you to keep a completed copy with other important documents, like your will.

In it, we suggest various options for the disposal of your body, from burial to its donation to science. You should consider what kind of ceremony you want in order to celebrate your life, and you should be aware that every form of disposal has its own implications.

For instance, if you choose to donate your body to science, although your body would not be present, you still can have a memorial ceremony to celebrate your life which would allow your loved ones to say goodbye. And if you wish to be buried to be in a green burial ground, you should bear in mind that your nearest and dearest might encounter some difficulty in accessing the site, if it is in a remote place.

Some of the terminology surrounding your funeral celebration may be unfamiliar – words like celebrant, committal, entry, and retiral for example, so here is a plain language explanation.

A celebrant is the person who will conduct the ceremony. The word is generally used to refer to a humanist celebrant, but it can also mean a religious celebrant, such as a minister or priest.

Committal is the point during the ceremony when the body is committed to its final end, either by being lowered into a grave, or cremated.

Entry is the beginning of the ceremony; retiral is the end.

From a technical point of view, this document is available in both Microsoft Word and Open Office formats, for editing on a computer, and also as a portable document format (PDF) for printing and completing by hand.

Humanist Society Scotland | Playfair House | 6 Broughton Street Lane | Edinburgh | EH1 3LY www.humanism.scot | 0300 3020680

Humanist Society Scotland is a registered Scottish charity (SC 026570) and a Scottish Company limited by guarantee, registered under Company Number 413697

Funeral Wishes

I, _________________________________________________________________, wish my executor(s) to ensure that my funeral – the celebration of my life - is in the Humanist tradition and conforms to the checklist completed below.

Signed _______________________________________________________

Date _________________________________________________________



Name:

Address:

Funeral Wishes

It is my wish that, after my death, my life be celebrated in a Humanist ceremony.

Funeral Director

I have made funeral arrangements with:

Funeral Director

Address

Telephone

I have a pre-payment scheme with:

Funeral Director/ OrganisationAddress

Telephone





Person to conduct Ceremony

I wish the person to conduct my ceremony to be either:

_____________________________, a Registered Celebrant™ of the Humanist Society Scotland, who can be contacted at:

Email ____________________________________________

Telephone ________________________________________

Or a Registered Celebrant™ chosen by the HSS

Or an HSS Registered Celebrant™ chosen by the Funeral Director

Website: www.humanism.scot

Ceremonies Helpline: 0300 302 0680

Email: [email protected]



Method of committing my body

I wish to have

Select Method Location

A traditional burial Cemetery

Address

Contact Name

Telephone

A green or woodland burial

Cemetery

Address

Contact Name

Telephone

A cremation Crematorium

Address

Contact Name

Telephone

My ashes

Scattered/ buried/ stored

Location

Address

Contact Name

Telephone

My body donated to medical Research

Research Centre

Address

Contact Name

Telephone

A burial or cremation attended only by close family

An unattended private burial or cremation

A memorial ceremony

Location

Contact Name

Telephone





Music to be playedMusic can have an important part to play in a ceremony, especially if it is held at a crematorium. The resident organist can provide live music, but other musicians can be brought in as well or instead. Recorded music is increasingly popular. This is generally played from CDs provided by you or your friends or relatives, but some crematoriums have their own libraries of recorded music.

The Funeral Director should be informed so that the correct arrangements should be made. Please note that all playing of music is subject to various legal requirements, and those organising the funeral should ensure that public performance rights are recognised.

In most Humanist celebrations, there are usually three places where music is appropriate. Music sets the mood at the beginning of the ceremony as everyone arrives; it can be an aid to reflection, during the period of contemplation that usually follow the tribute; and it can raise everyone’s spirits as people pay their respects to your family and friends when they leave after the committal and closing words.

Your choice of music can say a great deal about you, and your celebrant will welcome the opportunity to say that the deceased has chosen the music him or herself.

The music I wish to have at my funeral is indicated below:

I would like to have the following pieces of music played at the ceremony

At the beginning:

During a period of quiet reflection in the ceremony

At the end:

Other:

I do not want music to be played at the ceremony.



Charity Collection

It has become the custom nowadays, to ask the gathering not to bring flowers, but instead to donate to a favourite charity. The Funeral Director will normally arrange for a charity box to be made available, or perhaps the crematorium will have a collection basket. It is normally the responsibility of the person organising the funeral to ensure that the collection is donated to the correct charity.

I wish:

That a collection should be made for

Name

Address

Contact Name

Telephone

That no charity collection should be made



Eulogy or Tribute

In a Humanist funeral, we focus on the life of the deceased, and we do so by means of a eulogy or tribute, which consists of the thoughts and memories of those close to you. You could of course write your own eulogy, and ask someone else to deliver it, but you may wish to ask friends and/or family members to write and deliver all or some of your tribute, with or without of the help of a celebrant of the Humanist Society Scotland.

Who should deliver the tribute?

I wish that the following person/people be asked to deliver my eulogy, or to arrange the recording to be made, or otherwise ensure that my wishes be carried out, with respect to my eulogy.

Celebrant

Name

Address

Contact Name

Telephone

Friend

Name

Address

Contact Name

Telephone

Friend

Name

Address

Contact Name

Telephone

Video Location:

Audio Recording Location:



Other

Pallbearers

You may wish to be carried to your final resting place by family members or friends. The usual number of pallbearers is either four or six. You may wish to speak to your Funeral Directors for their advice, and ask them to make the necessary arrangements.

If possible, I would like the following people to be my pallbearers.

Name Address Telephone

1

2

3

4

5

6



Flowers

I wish that:

That there should be family flowers only That there should be no flowers

Reception

I would like the reception after the ceremony to be held at

Name

Address

Contact Name

Telephone

I do not want there to be a reception after the ceremony

The involvement of friends

You may also wish to leave other thoughts, suggestions or instructions on a separate sheet of paper: the names of people you wish to thank or otherwise acknowledge in the ceremony; contact details, if you have them, for friends you wish to be informed of your funeral or instructions regarding the disposal of your ashes should you choose to be cremated.

Some people choose to have a private burial or cremation ceremony attended only by their closest friends or family members. They, and people who choose to leave their body to medical science, often choose to have a memorial ceremony at another date and time and in a location of their choice, and these are generally unconstrained by the time limits of formal burials and cremations.

For more information on all types of humanist ceremonies:

Website: www.humanism.scot

Ceremonies Helpline: 0300 302 0680

Email: [email protected] Society Scotland | Playfair House | 6 Broughton Street Lane | Edinburgh | EH1 3LY

www.humanism.scot | 0300 3020680Humanist Society Scotland is a registered Scottish charity (SC 026570) and a

Scottish Company limited by guarantee, registered under Company Number 413697

Documents

Mr - Humanist Society Scotland … · Web viewWhen the time comes, it can be a ... you still can have a memorial ceremony to celebrate your life which would allow your loved ones