The AFCI is a group of civil funeral celebrants accredited with the Irish Institute of Celebrants (IIOC), who are committed to offering funeral and memorial services to people of all faiths and beliefs. We have pooled our wealth of experience, skills and personal qualities to give funeral directors and our local communities access a resource that they can depend on.
You’ll find our celebrants in many parts of the country and we’ll make ourselves available to the funeral directors in our area whenever they need it. Members of the public are also welcome to get in touch with our celebrants directly to arrange a funeral for their loved ones –or for themselves.
Our Mission
The AFCI aims to build trust among funeral directors that we can deliver our funeral services to the highest professional standards. We have formed our association gives credibility to the profession of celebrancy and show funeral directors that we are committed to achieving excellence in the delivery of our services. We will always treat bereaved family members with the dignity, compassion and respect they deserve.
We also want to create greater awareness among the general public about the role a funeral celebrant can play in helping them pay tribute to their loved ones. Our ceremonies put the person at the centre, rather than a belief system. That means we give people the power to decide how they want their loved ones to be remembered and to decide how they themselves want to be mourned.
How Our Ceremonies Work
Our members create bespoke ceremonies that celebrate a person’s life and allow families to pay tribute to their loved one in a way that’s true to who they were. As independent celebrants, our members have the flexibility to cater for all beliefs and none, so the ceremonies can be as spiritual or as secular as people wish. This means funeral directors can offer greater choice to people from different faith backgrounds.
When a funeral director contacts us saying that one of their clients has asked for a celebrant, we will arrange to meet their client straight away. At our meeting, we’ll talk about the person’s life, personality, beliefs and values – the ingredients that made them who they were.
We’ll then write the ceremony and send it to the family for approval. On the day, we will work closely with the funeral director and associated staff to make sure the ceremony runs as smoothly as possible.
What is a Civil Funeral Celebrant?
AFCI Celebrants are civil funeral celebrants, which means that we conduct funerals ceremonies outside of a church setting. We aim to offer people an alternative to traditional funeral ceremonies for people of all faiths and none. Ceremonies created by civil funeral celebrants are very personal and truly reflect the beliefs, personality and values of the person who has passed away.
AFCI funeral celebrants don’t just carry out funeral/celebration of life ceremonies. We deliver graveside ceremonies, scattering of ashes and memorial services, which happen some time after a person has passed away. Our civil celebrants can carry out ceremonies anywhere: in a crematorium, at the graveside, in a funeral home or in any place that’s special to you and your family.
Our celebrants also offer pre-planning services. People can get in touch with us to plan a funeral for themselves or for their loved ones in advance. We will treat them with the utmost sensitivity and ensure we deliver a ceremony according to their wishes.
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