FAQs

As soon as you ask us to help you, we are here for you. You will receive confirmation from our team, to let you know who will be supporting you as you prepare for the farewell, and on the day of the ceremony.

We will visit you at a time and place convenient to your family. At your own home, or in one of our offices in Liverpool adjacent to the Cathedral, or even at the Funeral Directors. Our time with you if such an important part of what we offer. So if you need more than one visit, that is fine. We will listen to you and create a bespoke service, tributes and eulogy for the day. Your celebrant will also support you if you want to deliver your own tributes on the day.

We will also attend the chapel of rest, or your home if you want a blessing of your loved one, or prayers or a rosary. Following the ceremony you will be invited to a special memorial service at the Cathedral for you and your close family.
 

The cost for a Good Funeral Celebrant is £225. 
There is NO charge for children under 18.

The time we are given to say farewell to our loved ones at a funeral, very often feels too short. To say everything we want, to sum up our feelings, emotions and share our memories needs to be at the heart of why we gather to give thanks.

A traditional funeral, gives a sense of the familiarity of doing what we know is the right thing. It may suit a particular generation who expect a similar service for each and every person. It may be that we want to do for our mum, what we did for our dad. And there is nothing wrong in that. 

Familiar words, prayers, readings and music, help to set the scene as we say goodbye. A eulogy that covers the life story, and acknowledges achievements and family, fill the time that we have at a funeral service very well indeed. We acknowledge God, in prayer, and share our belief in heaven and life everlasting. 

At a celebration of life service, we still have a sense of doing the right thing, but are more flexible with the content. To allow your loved ones personality and uniqueness shine through. And reflect on their passions, family, career, travelling, hopes and dreams. In this way, we can truly make each service fit your loved one, and respect their beliefs and understanding of what we believe happens when we die. We still talk of hope, and still acknowledge that love never dies...it just changes in its existence and reunites us all eventually. The farewell blessing, enables us to say goodbye to the earthly life, and celebrate the heavenly promises of life eternal. 

In both ceremonies, we leave feeling we have done the right thing by our loved ones, and have hope in our hearts. 

We want to include stories about my loved one...
We want it to be all about them...

Each funeral planning starts with a blank piece of paper. The time spent preparing, is always worth the effort. Funerals happen only once. Your loved one is 'always' the focus of the gathering. Their story is the most important thing. Wrapped around with your love, your memories and your blessings.

There are popular poems and readings that families often choose, this doesn't mean that every funeral is the same. We tailor it to you and your loved one. Reflecting on how best to celebrate life, in the midst of sadness. We can support you in writing your own tributes and verses. Or we can write them on your behalf after meeting with you.

The choice is always up to you and your family. 

As soon as your funeral director instructs us to help you with a ceremony, we will be in touch with you.

Usually by text, so that you can choose a convenient time to set up a meeting. We can meet in a private home, at the funeral directors office, in a church, or at our offices next the Liverpool Cathedral. When we visit you, we'll listen to you so we can understand how we can create a ceremony which recognises the uniqueness of your loved one's life. We'll talk about the type of readings, music and tributes you feel are fitting to you and your loved one. From this, we'll craft a bespoke service to help you grieve, celebrate and give thanks for their life and say farewell to your loved one.

If it is difficult to meet in person, we can arrange a skype/zoom/messenger video call. Emails and telephone of course, are also options to ensure we get everything perfect. It may take more than one meeting, conversation or zoom to get everything arranged, that's not a problem. We will keep in close contact until everything is fully arranged.

We are more than happy to accompany you with viewing, and farewell rituals. Some families like to mark the end of a life with a blessing, and anointing.

To recognise that your loved one, was taken as a small child by their parents for a thanksgiving, is quite a beautiful thing to recapture, with a special farewell anointing at the end of life. Chapel of rest rituals can be intimate and very precious. Items can be blessed as they are placed in the coffin, and accompanied with a prayer.

We can attend homes for small rituals of farewell with close family, sharing memories, prayers and rosaries.

Of course you can. We respect all beliefs and will always seek to give the most appropriate and loving blessing that reflects you and your family. Just ask us. We will always find the perfect balance that is respectful and dignified for your family. 

We will be in touch on the morning of the service, or the evening before to make sure that you are happy with the arrangements. Your celebrant will be waiting for you at the ceremony venue to welcome you, and to reassure you that all will be well.

We will take into consideration any special requests you may have for the ceremony, for example, if you have a theme or colour. We will usually wear formal attire, or robes if requested. Your celebrant will make any announcements on your behalf regarding donations, or following refreshments. And they will be on hand, to step in should anyone be unable to do their reading on the day.

If you have chosen to have a prayer as a mark of comfort at the end of the service, they will respectfully give this blessing before leaving the venue. Your celebrant will wait for the family outside and be there for any further support you may need immediately following the ceremony.

We will always try to attend a wake if we are invited.

The gathering spaces at the crematoria are called chapels. Each crematorium chapel has its very own distinct style, seating, decoration and lighting. Once we arrive at the crematorium, the hearse will wait beside the entrance. Your Funeral Director will instruct the pall bearers to carefully move the coffin, as we follow on behind to take our seats.

You can have music playing as we arrive, and also during the service and at the end. The music is always your choice. Your funeral celebrant can help with suggestions if you need any assistance.

The ceremony is led by your celebrant, and anyone who has been encouraged to speak, read a poem or give a tribute, does so from the lectern at the front of the chapel. There are curtains in front of the coffin. You can choose whether you would like them to close during the final song as you say farewell. Some families prefer the curtains to remain open. Again, its your choice, just speak to your celebrant who will ensure your wishes are followed. 

At the end of the service, we leave with a sense of hope.

We haven't left your loved one behind - we take their memory with us in our hearts.
If you have chosen to have a farewell blessing, we send their soul into the hands of God and into the arms of their loved ones, and we continue to feel their love within us. 

A Good Funeral ceremony at the Graveside, is just as meaningful as any service inside a chapel or memorial hall.

The elements included are the same. We still offer music as we arrive to the graveside. We welcome as we gather everyone around the space. And we remember with poems, tributes, readings and tributes. Nothing is eliminated just because we are outside.

The ceremony is led by your celebrant, and anyone else who is reading will do so from the graveside space. We can include music to reflect, and also as we lower the coffin into the grave. If the grave has been reopened, we will always acknowledge the family buried there, and if you wish, we can bless the grave with holy water, to set the space apart as sacred and special.

You will be encouraged to throw petals, flowers and soil if that is your families tradition. And if you want to fill in the grave, there are opportunities to do this, just ask the funeral director and they will arrange this for you. At the end of the service, we leave with a sense of hope.

We haven't left your loved one behind - we take their memory with us in our hearts.
If you have chosen to have a farewell blessing, we send their soul into the hands of God and into the arms of their loved ones, and we continue to feel their love within us. 

Our amazing space at Liverpool Cathedral, gives a wonderful opportunity to gather together to remember and give thanks for your loved ones. Our celebrants will be there, they will be delighted to see you once more to help you remember your loved ones. You will be with other families who are bereaved, and together the service reflects the sadness of loss, the thankfulness of life and also the hope of heaven.

We have readings, poems and music. Names of your loved ones are read aloud, and stars and hearts are hung on our memory tree. You can light a candle to remember also, and you will be given a blessing card to take away.

The loss of baby or child is heart breaking.

At Liverpool Cathedral, we have a beautiful smaller chapel downstairs, called The Lady Chapel. Here we hold services for anyone who has lost a baby or child. We call this special service 'Forever Young'...our belief is that no one is lost, even in death. The hope of our faith tells us that God embraces all life, love and all people. It is an intimate service which includes words of comfort, music and candle lighting.

Your child's name will be read aloud.
Our celebrants will be there, ready to sit with your and listen.
A book of remembrance is available to have names of your children included. Just ask. 

Again, we have the blessing of being able to welcome you every Saturday to the memorial chapel, in Liverpool Cathedral to light a candle and take a ,moment out of the business of the day, to just stop, breathe and remember someone you love and miss.

Our celebrants will be there to greet you and say a prayer if you wish. Often people find coming to the Cathedral on an anniversary, or birthday is a comforting thing. This is also a wonderful opportunity to bring children who perhaps were not at the funeral. They can light a candle and we are always happy to listen to them tell us about their loved ones as they remember too.

Everyone is welcome.
We are usually there from 11am until 1pm

We are based at the Diocesan Offices in Liverpool, right beside the Cathedral. We are central to the city, and are able to cover the whole region. Merseyside is fortunate to have several crematoria and burial grounds, placed in beautiful gardens and surroundings, our service covers all of these venues.

Crematoria 

Anfield, Springwood, Thornton, Southport, St Helens, West Lancashire / Burscough, Greenacres Woodland, Wigan, Widnes, Warrington.

Burial grounds and cemeteries

Allerton, Thornton Garden of Rest, Toxteth, Kirkdale, Everton, Ford.

The heartbreak of losing a child is perhaps like non-other. We will accompany you as you find the ways in which to give thanks and say farewell.

Closely with your funeral director, we can arrange a private blessing or thanksgiving at a place that is special and where you feel most comfortable. We can come to your home, to the hospice or funeral home.

We will help to create an intimate service, that is filled with hope in the midst of sadness. Whatever words, music, silence and story....it will always by your choice. We are here to support and help. There are no charges for funerals of babies or children up to the age of 18.

Afterwards?
In Liverpool Cathedral, we have a special children's chapel, where there is a book of remembrance, and a prayer tree. We can arrange to have your child's name included if you would like.

Embracing Hope
Quarterly we hold special memorial services for those who have lost a child. You will be invited to the service, and your child's name will be read aloud in the prayers if you would like. 

We will contact you the following day, to ask if everything was as you'd hoped.

And then a few weeks after the service, to see how your family are managing. You will have already been offered an opportunity to be invited to a special memorial service at Liverpool Cathedral, if you have expressed an interest, then you will receive an invitation to attend with you and your family.

The services take place several times throughout the year, and you can attend more than one service if it gives you a sense of comfort.

Each Saturday, our team of celebrants are ready to welcome you into Liverpool Cathedral between 11am and 1pm. We can be found in the memorial chapel, where we have prayer trees, candles and a listening ear.

Do come and stop by, when you get to an anniversary, or birthday, or simply want to chat. We'd love to see you anytime. Whilst in the Cathedral, you might want to check out the café, the gift shop, experience the 'tower' or many of the other opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the Cathedral.