V15 - Funeral Celebrant - QLD Bundaberg Mr Pat Slee

In this issue the National Celebrants E-Magazine features some ACCN Funeral Celebrants.

These are ACCN Celebrants who have taken a extra listing on the ACCN's Funeral Options Website. Some guideline questions have been developed to assist the community in knowing more about the attitudes and values of civil celebrants. These celebrants have a complimentary webpage on Funeral Options as a reward for their assistance in developing our website content.

Many thanks to Pat Slee for providing his profile.

My approach for funerals and memorials is

• to ensure that the ceremony reflects the positive aspects of the person
• provides a fitting memorial and
• in doing so helps those grieving to come to terms with their loss.

I aim to provide the starting blocks for the healing process.. done with sensitivity.. and, where able, a light hearted approach.

What attracted you to funeral celebrancy?
The ability to help and be involved in a difficult part of community life..

In what ways do you consider independent funeral celebrants can assist families?
Primarily an ability to be detached from the whole Funeral Director enterprise which can appear overwhelming and authoritarian in many cases.

The motto of my service “the spotlight is on you..” still prevails.

Is there such a thing as a "good" funeral ?

I believe so. Once we accept the fact that we all have to die and that it is a natural progression, the funeral can then be a memorial to all that was good about that person ....... who, what and when he touched others in his life ........ and how we were all better to have known him.
The skill is to make this transition acceptable.

How do you think families could be better prepared for death?

The first thing would be to accept more about philosophy than religion.. but that is due to my upbringing, a religious person would see the opposite.

Then, it is a matter of accepting that there is only one guarantee in life, and you, generally, have no control over the time or method of your demise.

For more of Pat's views click here