What is a Civil Funeral?

A Civil Funeral is:

 

 

 

'a funeral driven by the wishes, beliefs and values of the

deceased and their family, not by the beliefs or ideology of the person conducting the funeral.'

 

- The Institute of Civil Funerals

 

 

A Civil Funeral therefore sits between a traditional religious service - which must be carried out by an ordained priest and follows the set form of the religious denomination concerned - and a Humanist ceremony, in which any religious reference is excluded.

 

 

This means you are free to have a completely non-religious ceremony or one which, while not following the set form of a religious service, may include prayers, hymns or readings as is appropriate for the person concerned.