Thank you for your interest in becoming a Celebrant! The Celebrant Foundation & Institute is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to training North American Celebrants and to promoting the use of ceremony to mark the milestones and transitions in the lives of individuals, families, communities and organizations. Celebrants are professional officiants who create personalized ceremonies to meet their clients’ needs. The ideal of Celebrancy is that the client's beliefs and values are paramount, and that the beliefs of the Celebrant are immaterial in the process of ceremony creation. As a Celebrant, you will collaborate with your clients to help them realize their vision for their day, giving them final approval over the ceremony script. No two Celebrant ceremonies are alike.
Celebrants officiate at all types of life event ceremonies, for babies and adoptions, coming of age, marriages , commitment ceremonies, funerals and memorials. Celebrants also develop ceremonies to enrich daily life, and for community, corporate and civic events. The opportunities to use ceremony to create connections among neighbors and families, and for healing and celebration, are as varied as are our Celebrants.
Celebrants serve a basic need in today's society, and the interest in the Celebrant Foundation & Institute and our graduates demonstrates this. Please visit our website's Press Room to listen to the National Public Radio (NPR) feature segment about our organization that ran in December 2003: View Press releases
We've also been featured in The Wall Street Journal (downsizing ceremonies); USA Today (divorce ceremonies); CBS Nightly News with Dan Rather (the Celebrancy profession); New Jersey public television (store launching ceremony), The New York Times (the wedding Celebrancy profession and ceremonies), The Utne Reader (Lifelong Learning) and more.
Below you will find details on the upcoming 2008-2009 academic year, including the program schedule, course content, tuition information and application requirements. Please contact me by phone or email if you would like further information or are interested in applying to the Celebrant Foundation & Institute's programs in Celebrancy Studies. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Reed, Director of Academics
Celebrant Foundation & Institute
Telephone: (973) 746-1792
Direct Dial: (973) 249-3974
email to:cynthiakreed@celebrantusa.com
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS
The Celebrant Foundation & Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The school admits students of any race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Celebrant Foundation & Institute
93 Valley Road, 2nd Floor, Montclair, NJ 07042
973.746.1792
www.celebrantusa.org
What is a Celebrant? Celebrants are trained professionals who believe in the power and effectiveness of ceremony and ritual to serve basic needs of society and the individual. The Celebrant’s mission is to help the client create a ceremony that reflects his or her beliefs, philosophy of life, and personality. The beliefs of the Celebrant are immaterial in this process.
Celebrants come from all walks of life and a college degree is not a prerequisite. We’re looking for highly motivated students who have an interest in ceremony and ritual, public speaking experience, excellent writing abilities, organizational skills and a love of the arts and working with people. Foreign languages and computer skills are a plus. Above all, the Celebrant candidate must be committed to creating personalized ceremonies for people of all beliefs and value systems.
The Course in Celebrancy. The Celebrant Foundation & Institute offers three certificate tracks:
- Weddings and Other Ceremonies for Couples
- Funerals and other Ceremonies for Healing
- Ceremonies for Families and Children
Students are immersed in the history of rituals and traditions around the world, the choreography and management of ceremonies and ceremonial public speaking. They also have opportunities to learn from experienced Celebrants before they officiate on their own.
Students will read from authors who provide the foundation for the study of ritual, mythology, weddings and death and dying, including such texts as The Rites of Passage by Arnold van Gennep, Deeply into the Bone by Ronald Grimes, The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell, Rites of Passage by Wall & Ferguson, The Conscious Bride by Sheryl Nissinen, Gay & Lesbian Weddings by Toussaint & Leo, Joining Hands and Hearts by Susanna Macomb, Sacred Dying by Megory Anderson, Remember Well by Sarah York and The Mourner’s Dance by Katherine Ashenberg.
Here is what one recent student had to say about the course:
“I am amazed at how in such a short time our study group has developed the sense of safety and trust with each other to share the stories and moments of pain/change/growth of our lives. It sets this class apart as being more than just a handing out of information as in traditional classes. This class has become in itself a transformational process and a feeding of one’s soul.”
~ Class of 2007 graduate
Course Schedule. The course runs from October 1, 2008 through April 30, 2009.
- In October 2008, you will participate in an online independent study program. All materials will be posted in an online classroom, and you will have access to an ongoing online student forum to discuss the readings with your classmates from all over the country as you go along. The Foundation also provides you with streaming online videos of Celebrant-conducted ceremonies for you to observe.
- From November 2008 to the end of January 2009, with time off for holidays, you will take the core course “Fundamentals of Celebrancy”, which covers the theory behind creating ritual and ceremony, symbolism, the building blocks of good ceremony, the creation and practice of effective ceremonies, and ceremonial public speaking.
- From February to the end of April 2009, you will begin your specialty course in the certificate program of your choice – Weddings, Funerals or Families & Children. Classes meet for one hour per week.
- You will graduate as a Certified Celebrant in May 2009, date to be announced.
Early Bird Tuition. For students who apply, are accepted, and enroll by July 14, 2008, tuition for your initial certificate program is frozen at the current rate of $2,000. After that date, tuition increases to $2,100.
Early bird tuition is payable as follows:
1. You may pay, upon acceptance, in one payment of $2,000; or
2. You may pay in two equal installments of $1,000 on:
$1,000 due by July 14, 2008
$1,000 due on January 15th, 2009
After July 14th, tuition is due as follows:
$1,050 due by September 15, 2008
$1,050 due on January 15, 2009
All tuition payment or payments can be made by personal or bank check to:
Celebrant USA Foundation,
93 Valley Road, Suite 2,
Montclair, NJ 07042
or by 
Visa/MasterCard by calling the office at 973.746.1792.
You may take two certificate courses simultaneously with approval of the Academic Director. Tuition for the additional certificate is $700, payable with your second installment.
Additional Costs:
Students are required, during the course of study, to arrange and pay all fees for a qualified professional vocal evaluator to assess their public speaking and presentation abilities. Additional textbooks that may be required to be purchased are solely the responsibility of the student and not the Celebrant Foundation & Institute. The vast majority of study materials is included in tuition and is downloadable from the Institute’s web site.
Refunds. Tuition is refundable until you (a) receive your password to access the course materials or (b) the first day of class, whichever comes earlier.
Where do I take classes?
For area students who so choose, classes are taught at our North Jersey Institute in Montclair, New Jersey.
For distance students, classes are taught in an innovative online program in small groups via real-time chat. Your journey to becoming a Celebrant will be enhanced by interaction with your online chat group and experienced Celebrants.
All students will have access to our online classrooms and the online library, which feature sample ceremonies of all types, sample contracts and client interview questions, and more. The classrooms contain your homework assignments and readings, as well as a message board where you can discuss Celebrancy topics with students all across North America.
Computer Requirements
Whether you are taking the program in person or online, you will be required to use the online features of the course. To access these features you must have:
High speed internet access to participate in online chat classes
The most recent Mozilla/Firefox or Internet Explorer browser to use the online classroom
The most recent Java software to access the chat room
The ability to send and open documents in Microsoft Word and PDF formats
How do I apply for admission?
Students interested in applying for admission should contact Cynthia Reed, Director of Academics, at (973) 746-1792. To apply, you’ll need to submit the following:
your resume
an application cover sheet (attached); and
a personal statement on why you want to become a Celebrant.
The Institute may then conduct an in-person or telephone interview with you. Your application materials may be submitted by fax to (973) 744-1775, by email to cynthiakreed@celebrantusa.com or by mail to:
Celebrant Foundation & Institute
93 Valley Road, Second Floor
Montclair, New Jersey 07042
Attn: Admissions Committee
Certificate Programs: Celebrant Foundation & Institute
(effective December 2007)
Core Course:
Fundamentals of Celebrancy:
Prerequisites: None
Concepts Covered:
History and Ideals of Celebrancy
Elements of Effective Ceremonies
Rites of Passage Theory
Arnold van Gennep and Rites of Passage
Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey
Ronald Grimes and Ceremony Creation
Symbolism
Ceremonial Public Speaking
Client Relationships and Interviewing
Ceremony Observations
Certificate Course: Weddings and other Ceremonies for Couples
Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Celebrancy
Topics: Weddings, Commitment Ceremonies, Vow Renewals, Engagements and Anniversaries
Concepts Covered:
- Legal Issues for Wedding Celebrants
- Wedding Ceremony Structure
- Client Relations, Interviewing and Setting Fees
- Storytelling and Ceremony Writing
- Comparative Rituals for Weddings
- Suggesting and Selecting Ceremony Elements
- Research for Ceremony Creation
- Rehearsals
- Weddings Performance
- Commitment Ceremonies
- Engagements, Vow Renewals and Anniversaries
- Ceremony Writing Exercises
- Marketing
Certificate Course:Funerals and other Ceremonies for Healing
Prerequisite:b> Fundamentals of Celebrancy
Topics: Funerals, Memorials, Divorce, Downsizing and Job Loss, Animal Companions, Illness, Survival, End of Life Celebrations, Healing.
Concepts Covered:
- Funeral Ceremony Structure
- Ceremonies for Committal of the Body
- Writing a Eulogy and Personalizing the Ceremony
- Interviewing Clients and Working with Families
- Special Issues: Ceremonies for Infants & Children, Violent Deaths, Suicide
- Funeral History and Customs
- Performing Funerals
- Working with the Funeral Industry
- Ceremonies (of all kinds) for Animal Companions
- Ceremonies for Terminal Illness
- Healing, Survival and Celebration
- Transitions in the Workplace: Job Loss, Career Change and Retirement
- Transitions in the Family: Divorce, Home Leaving
- Ceremony Writing Exercises
- Marketing
Certificate Course: Ceremonies for Families, Children and other Life Transitions
Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Celebrancy
Topics: Baby Namings & Welcomings, Coming of Age, Rituals for Blended Families, Birthdays and Graduations, House Dedications, Ceremony and Ritual for Every Day, Men’s and Women’s passages, Seasonal Ceremonies
Concepts Covered:
- Becoming a Family: Ceremonies to Welcome Children
- Coming of Age
- Coming Home: Ceremonies for Dwellings
- Birthdays, Graduations and Reunions
- Gathering Families: Graduations, Milestone Birthdays and Family Reunions
- Men’s and Women’s Passages
- Ceremony and Ritual for Everyday
- Honoring the Seasons, Celebrating the Earth
- Interviewing Clients and Working with Families
- Ceremony Development and Performance
- Ceremony Writing Exercises
- Marketing
DOWNLOAD APPLICATION COVER SHEET (PDF)
DOWNLOAD APPLICATION COVER SHEET (DOC)
