Meet the funeral celebrant: Paula Sinclair
Meet Paula, one of our new humanist funeral celebrants. Paula Sinclair is now a registered Humanist Society Scotland funeral celebrant and joins our dedicated team providing humanist funeral and memorial ceremonies for her community in Dundee.
We caught up with Paula to get to know her a bit more and find out what humanism and being a humanist funeral celebrant means to her.
Hello and welcome Paula! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
Hello! I am originally from Northern Ireland but have lived in Scotland for over 25 years. Scotland definitely feels like home now, in fact, it always did! Dundee was where I decided to go to uni when I was 18, chosen because Dundee University had the largest Student Union (bar!) in Scotland at the time. I am sure the academic credentials were also impressive. With the Scottish people being so similar to the Irish/Northern Irish, I knew I’d do okay. And I’ve never looked back.
I have lived in a few places over the years, including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Lossiemouth. I always found my way back to sunny Dundee, my first love! Now having married a Dundonian and raising two wee ones, I am set for life here.
My background is in mental health within the NHS. I have been privileged in this work to have been trusted to share in people’s journeys. Journeys of struggle, loss, hope and recovery. Helping others has always been important to me and my values.
What does being a humanist funeral celebrant mean to you?
As the daughter and granddaughter of funeral directors, being involved in funeral care is really important to me. Growing up I saw first hand the importance of providing reliable, professional and sensitive care to grieving individuals and families. I think this was a big part of why I always wanted to work with people. I wanted to try to reduce suffering and improve people’s lives in any way I could.
By becoming a humanist funeral celebrant my aim is to ensure that I facilitate the best farewells possible. I want to be able to honour the life lost in the most personalised and meaningful way.
Why did you make the decision to become a humanist funeral celebrant?
It was a decision that I had been thinking about for literally years. I had been seeking another way to support others, while still using skills I had been fine-tuning within my career in the NHS. I’ve followed Humanist Society Scotland on social media for years. I knew of their important campaigns, working to improve the rights of the most vulnerable or under-represented people. These causes also meant a great deal to me. I knew that if I did make the leap to be a celebrant, it would be with Humanist Society Scotland. When their recruitment opened up, I took a chance, and I am delighted to be able to realise this dream.
What do you hope to achieve in your role as funeral celebrant?
I hope to create and deliver bespoke, highly personalised and authentic celebrations of life, no matter the circumstances that surround the loss. The healing power of having a meaningful funeral ceremony is undeniable. As humans we have always had rituals around death and saying farewell to those we have lost. It is an essential part of the grieving process. As a funeral celebrant I hope to support this process by capturing the life and legacy of the deceased, so that those grieving may begin to find a way to live on.
To me humanism means freedom, but with great freedom comes great responsibility; to look after each other, the natural world and the creatures that share it with us.
How were you first introduced to humanism and what does it mean to you?
I was first introduced to humanism when I got engaged but we did not want a religious/church wedding. Growing up in ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland, I have always struggled with understanding or accepting religious divisions. I was brought up to treat everyone the same, with compassion and respect. Seeing the impact of sectarianism and the hurt in both communities I instead sought another way of understanding life and our role in the world. It was therefore such a relief to learn about humanism and to be able to get married in a way that was aligned with both mine and my husband’s beliefs.
Our wedding beautifully represented our love story. It was wonderful to bring together all the people that we loved, as humans together with no dividing lines or difference. It was at this time that I realised I was a humanist the whole time, I just didn’t have a word for it! To me humanism means freedom, but with great freedom comes great responsibility; to look after each other, the natural world and the creatures that share it with us.
These Are My Wishes
Have you thought about your own funeral or memorial and how you’d like to be remembered?
Ensure your life is celebrated the way you want it to be. Record your wishes today using our simple, online tool.
Are there any particular poems or readings on the subject of loss or celebrating life which bring you comfort?
There are many beautiful poems, prose and readings related to loss, as this is a subject that has always challenged us as humans, as we grapple with the idea of our own mortality. As a humanist funeral celebrant, a key part of my role involves finding the right sentiment for the occasion or person.
For me, I often look to song lyrics to help me express how I feel. I have been listening to Sam Fender’s latest album People watching with the title track being about loss and grief. It’s upbeat but it’s about experiencing a loss and the empty feeling of watching the world going on as normal, as though nothing has happened.
Finally, do you have a song that you would you like people to remember you by? If so, what is it and why?
In a humanist funeral we try, where possible and when appropriate, to end the ceremony with a sense of celebration, with gratitude for having had that person in our lives. I would love to have a cheerful, silly song that might bring a wee smile.
Speak to a celebrant
We have celebrants located right across Scotland.
