Meaningful Funerals

This work addresses how funerals may be created which are not only relevant for the bereaved, but which also have theological integrity. The majority of the British population no longer attend church yet when bereaved, many still turn to church representatives to perform funerals for their loved ones. This book addresses how funerals may be created which are not only relevant for the bereaved, but also have theological integrity. A paradigm shift in the manner by which funerals are constructed is proposed – from imposing alien liturgies to creating a unique ritual which evolves from the meeting of the stories of the bereaved and that of the ritual leader. The argument for the co-construction of funerals is informed by contemporary models of grief and Kelly’s own experience with bereaved parents.Co-construction is a process which is centred on listening and empowering, and involves offering the bereaved choices from a range of ritual resources to help them shape their funeral’s content. Such a process facilitates sensitive regulation of grief in an age where its privatisation has meant the bereaved are often bereft of a means by which to benchmark their feelings, behaviour and decision making.

Author Biography

Ewan Kelly initially studied medicine and worked as a junior doctor before completing a theology degree and becoming ordained as a Church of Scotland minister. He is now Lecturer in Pastoral Theology in the University of Edinburgh, UK.