Funeral celebrant characterised by a strong non-religious stance. Others in the UK have set themselves up as Civil Funeral Celebrants based on the Australian/Victorian model. They are gaining wide acceptance. The USA Celebrant Foundation, established by graduates of the Australian-based International College of Celebrancy in 2003, has emerged as the leading organisation in training and educating civil celebrants in the USA. Originally a force for secular wedding and naming ceremonies, since 2009 some civil celebrants in the USA have become more involved in high standard funeral ceremonies. Funeral celebrant Funeral celebrant is a formal term denoting members of a group of non-clergy
Celebrant (Australia) cent of Australian marriages were performed by civil celebrants. However, the rate of civil marriages varied between states and territories, with a civil marriage rate of 86.6% in the Northern Territory, 83.6% in Tasmania, 81.7% in Western Australia, 81.2% in Queensland, 77.8% in South Australia, 77.3% in Victoria, 76.6% in the Australian Capital Territory and 75% in New South Wales. Marriage by independent civil celebrant has spread in other English-speaking countries. Its early establishment in Australia was largely due to the support of the reforming Attorney-General Lionel Murphy in the 1970s. A civil marriage celebrant is a private person authorised