Celebrant USA Foundation and Institute
Encyclopedia
The Celebrant Foundation & Institute (CFI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization dedicated to the education, training and certification of professional secular officiants known as Life-Cycle Celebrant
s. CFI was founded in 2001 and has headquarters in Montclair, New Jersey
.
and New Zealand
. The International Federation of Celebrancy organization estimates more than one million wedding ceremonies
have been performed by Celebrants worldwide. See Celebrant (Australia)
.
Celebrancy is a growing occupation in the United States
, Canada
and Mexico
. In 2007, the Celebrant profession was named by CNN
and Money Magazine
as the #3 best job for those over 50 and ready for a change.
Individuals and societies in North America
and Europe
have increasingly utilized the services of Celebrants, due to the needs of many diverse cultures, beliefs and backgrounds.
and ritual
to serve basic needs of society and the individual. They collaborate with their clients to create and perform personalized ceremonies that reflect the clients’ beliefs, philosophy of life and personalities; not the Celebrant's.
, commitments
, baby blessings and naming, coming-of-age, rites-of-passage
, survivor, seasonal and earth-based rituals, retirements, family reunions, celebrations-of-life, memorials, and funerals.
ism, rite of passage
and world traditions; and the theory and practice of ceremony
, rituals and public speaking via distance learning (online) classes taught by the Celebrant Institute & Foundation faculty. Following graduation, those trained through the Celebrant Foundation & Institute become certified and earn the title of Life-Cycle Celebrant.
Celebrant
Celebrant may refer to:* Celebrant or Officiant, the leader of a liturgy or ceremony who is empowered to perform it** In the Catholic and Anglican churches, the celebrant is the person who celebrates a sacrament, e.g., the priest who celebrates the Eucharist or the bishop who ordains a priest*...
s. CFI was founded in 2001 and has headquarters in Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
.
Origin and history
The designated Celebrant profession began during the early 1970s in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The International Federation of Celebrancy organization estimates more than one million wedding ceremonies
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
have been performed by Celebrants worldwide. See Celebrant (Australia)
Celebrant (Australia)
In Australia, celebrants are people who conduct formal ceremonies in the community, particularly weddings, which are the main ceremony of legal import conducted by celebrants. They may also conduct extra-legal ceremonies such as naming of babies, renewal of wedding vows and funerals...
.
Celebrancy is a growing occupation in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. In 2007, the Celebrant profession was named by CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and Money Magazine
Money Magazine
Money Magazine is a business news and financial programme that is broadcast on Sundays at 7:00pm in Hong Kong by television channel TVB Pearl.-Producers and reporters:...
as the #3 best job for those over 50 and ready for a change.
Individuals and societies in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
have increasingly utilized the services of Celebrants, due to the needs of many diverse cultures, beliefs and backgrounds.
Life-cycle Celebrants
Life-cycle Celebrants are professional ceremony officiants who advocate the power and effectiveness of ceremonyCeremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...
and ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
to serve basic needs of society and the individual. They collaborate with their clients to create and perform personalized ceremonies that reflect the clients’ beliefs, philosophy of life and personalities; not the Celebrant's.
Professional practice
Life-cycle Celebrants officiate for individuals, couples, families and organizations at virtually every life event, with a focus on custom-made ceremonies to reflect the needs, beliefs and values of people from all walks of life. Specialized ceremonies include occasions such as: weddings, vow renewalsWedding vow renewal ceremony
A wedding vow renewal ceremony is a ceremony in which a married couple renew or reaffirm their wedding vows. The ceremonies have been popular in Italy for decades, and have existed in United States since the 1950s, but only became popular there after the 1970s...
, commitments
Commitments
Commitments is a drama film released in 2001 on television by BET. The movie stars Allen Payne and Victoria Dillard, focusing on the relationship that grows between Fox Giovanni and Van Compton ....
, baby blessings and naming, coming-of-age, rites-of-passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
, survivor, seasonal and earth-based rituals, retirements, family reunions, celebrations-of-life, memorials, and funerals.
Training
Celebrant students follow an interdisciplinary program focusing on the history and art of celebration, symbolSymbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
ism, rite of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
and world traditions; and the theory and practice of ceremony
Ceremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...
, rituals and public speaking via distance learning (online) classes taught by the Celebrant Institute & Foundation faculty. Following graduation, those trained through the Celebrant Foundation & Institute become certified and earn the title of Life-Cycle Celebrant.