Ron Petrella, a civil celebrant for Virginia, is to officiate in an outdoor ceremony at Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg, Va. The bride, 28, is taking her husband's name.
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160; cf. Messenger's Notes for the International College of Celebrancy on "Funerals--Best Practice". Murphy's Law And The Pursuit Of Happiness: A History Of The Civil Celebrant MovementMessenger, Dally (2012). Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: A History of the Civil Celebrant Movement, Spectrum Publications, Melbourne. .
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Lionel Murphy also knew that the superficial, the unaware, were not the right persons to bring this about. The civil celebrant needs to have a rich skill-set and knowledge base. Murphy is on the record as asserting that the civil celebrant needed to have a “feel” for ceremony and be professional, knowledgeable, educated, creative, imaginative, inspired, well presented, idealistic, and well practised. The civil celebrant should be a person inspired to improve lives at a deep and lasting level.
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Roy Francis convinced Messenger that just as his wife was entitled to a civil celebrant marriage, she was similarly entitled to a civil celebrant funeral. Some 200 people attended and many urged Messenger to continue the work as "much more important than weddings." Messenger credits Dennis Perry, then brother in law of Helen Francis, as being a decisive influence.
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He appointed a well-known model Jill-Ellen Fuller as the inaugural President of the Australian Civil Marriage Celebrants Association (ACMCA). He placed his own personal secretary Maureen Barron as temporary secretary but soon officially appointed Dally Messenger III.Messenger III, Dally (2012), Murphy’s Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: a History of the Civil Celebrant Movement, Spectrum Publications, Melbourne (Australia), , p57 (A separate organisation for Funeral Celebrants, the Association of Civil Funeral Celebrants, was formed on 3 May 1977.Messenger III, Dally (2012), Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: a History of the Civil Celebrant Movement, Spectrum Publications, Melbourne (Australia), , p159) Dally Messenger III is an acknowledged leader in the Civil Celebrant Program in Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
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Civil celebrancy was established by the Australian Commonwealth Attorney General Lionel Murphy on 19 July 1973, when his first appointee, Mrs Lois D'Arcy, was categorised as a Civil Marriage Celebrant. Later, as civil marriage celebrants branched out into the performance of other ceremonies such as Funerals and Namings the term was shortened to Civil Celebrant. According to civil celebrant Dally Messenger III: > The civil celebrant program is almost entirely the result of one man's > vision. Murphy himself told me the story of how he was opposed by his own > staff, the public service, his fellow members of parliament and officials of > the Labour Party. He defied all, and, on July 19, 1973, in the dead of > night, typed the first appointment himself, found the envelope and stamp, > walked to a post box and posted it himself.
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In Hindu weddings, a pandit is the marriage officiant. Some non-religious couples get married by a minister of religion, while others get married by a government official, such as a civil celebrant, judge, mayor, or Justice of the peace.
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Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: A History of the Civil Celebrant Movement, 2007.Messenger, Dally, Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: A History of the Civil Celebrant Movement, Spectrum Publications, Melbourne, 2012 . As the title implies, this is a semi-autobiographical account of the history of civil celebrancy in Australia since its establishment in 1973 until the turn of the century in 2000. It describes the role of the reform-minded Attorney-General Lionel Murphy who provided the legal framework that inaugurated independent civil celebrancy and helped it progress much faster in Australia than in other English-speaking countries.
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Ceremonies for Today, 1979.Messenger, Dally; Ceremonies for Today, Zouch, Melbourne, 1979. & . This is a book of model civil celebrant ceremonies, mainly weddings, funerals and namings, together with a collection of quotations and poetry suitable for readings, plus sample vows and other components.
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Murphy exempted every civil celebrant from Section 45 of the Australian federal Marriage Act 1961. This is a legal "warning" or monitum to the couple. Murphy believed the words to be sexist and inauthentic – i.e. wrong for not admitting the high rate of divorce.
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This gives the Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant more status than they enjoy in other western countries, but also additional legal responsibility.Messenger, Dally (1999), Ceremonies and Celebrations, Hachette -Livre Australia (Sydney), . p.3Messenger, Dally (2012). Murphy’s Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: a History of the Civil Celebrant Movement.
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The leader of the AEP is Jason Tuazon-McCheyne, who works as a civil celebrant in the state of Victoria. Tuazon-McCheyne is married to his husband Adrian. They have a son and live in Melbourne's north west. Deputy Leader Jacqueline Tomlins"Boroondara residents help launch the Equality Party to stand up for gay rights".
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According to MessengerMessenger, Dally (2012), Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: a History of the Civil Celebrant Movement, Spectrum Publications, Melbourne (Australia), , Chapters 43–48 the period from 1995 to 2003 is recorded as being the most happily productive of the Civil Celebrant Movement in Australia. Funeral and Naming ceremonies, originally opposed by the majority of celebrants and the Attorney-General's Department, had gradually and imperceptibly become accepted. A group of celebrants under the leadership of Rick Barclay, a successful Funeral and Marriage Celebrant, had morphed the original Funeral Celebrants Association of Australia into an organisation which accepted all ceremonies and celebrants into an inclusive association titled The Institute of Australian Celebrants. Kathleen Hurley, an active member of the Institute, persuaded Dally Messenger III to become more deeply involved.
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Mary Hancock established the first training course for civil celebrants in the world in Auckland New Zealand (ca.1994). In 1994, the first formal training course for civil celebrants ever established, was created by pioneer civil celebrant Mary Hancock in Auckland, New Zealand. Shortly after, in Australia, the International College of Celebrancy courses were established by Dally Messenger III.Messenger, Dally, Murphy's Law, op cit. pp. 231-259.
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Alice Campion consists of four core members: Denise Tart, a Sydney civil celebrant with a background in writing and performance; Jane Richards, a senior travel editor with Australian media group Fairfax; Jane St Vincent Welch (full name Mary Jane St Vincent Welch), an Australian film editor; and Jenny Crocker, a communications manager specialising in behaviour change campaigns. For its first novel, the Alice Campion group also included Madeline Oliver.
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An acknowledged pioneer of civil Celebrancy, Dally Messenger III claims to have officiated at the first funeral celebrant ceremony. This was in the sense that the client sought a service from Messenger, as a government appointed civil celebrant, and as a professional ceremony provider. There had occasionally been secular funeral ceremonies before this date, but they were extremely rare and informal, e.g. some words spoken at the graveside by members of the Communist party.
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In Hong Kong, the Marriage (Introduction of Civil Celebrants of Marriages and General Amendments) Ordinance ("the Marriage Amendment Ordinance") came into force on 13 March 2006. It empowered the Registrar of Marriages to appoint civil celebrants of marriages and, to enable a marriage to be celebrated before a civil celebrant at any time and place, other than the office of the Registrar of Marriages or a deputy registrar of marriages (a "marriage registry") or a place of worship licensed under the Ordinance.
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Messenger, Dally, Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: A History of the Civil Celebrant Movement, Spectrum Publications, Melbourne, 2012 . p.196ff. James A. Murray criticised Messenger’s ceremonies as "a phenomenon without historical or cultural roots".Murray, James S., The Australian, "Celebrants, in whatever form, reap the dubious benefits of secular land", January 24, 1985 p.5 On the other hand, commentator Dick Gross credits Messenger as recognising the importance of traditional cultural and religious frameworks in composing his "top-selling compendium of civil ceremonies".
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The original 1961 Act therefore allowed civil ceremonies, and the first civil celebrants were authorised in 1973. By the time the 2002 amendments were introduced, civil celebrants performed over 50% of marriages. The changes therefore provide legislative recognition to civil celebrants, and prescribe a regime beyond being "fit and proper" in order to control the quality and number of celebrants. Section 39C now lists a number of requirements to be registered as civil celebrant, in addition to being at least 18 years old and "fit and proper".
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In Australia, only authorised (registered) marriage celebrants have the authority to perform marriages. In 2018, 79.7 per 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 75.9% in New South Wales, 79.8% in Victoria, 83.7% in Queensland, 78.9% in South Australia, 83.2% in Western Australia, 85.0% in Tasmania, 85.3% in the Northern Territory and 83.4% in the Australian Capital Territory Marriage by independent civil celebrant has spread in other English-speaking countries.
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Until 1994, Celebrant Training was mainly achieved by informal but effective mentoring of new celebrants by the more experienced. This was augmented by seminars and conferences organised by the main celebrant organisations. Significant progress in understanding of the celebrant role was achieved at the annual "Pallotti" live-in conferences which took place at Warburton in Victoria from 1994 to 1999. International lecturers included Mary Hancock from New Zealand and David Oldfield from Washington DC in the US. Mary Hancock, Pioneer New Zealand Civil Celebrant (New Zealand adopted the Australian Model).
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According to Dally Messenger and Alain de Botton, in most Western countries the values and ideals articulated in both church and civil ceremonies are generally similar. The difference is in what Messenger calls the "supernatural infrastructure" or de Botton the "implausible supernatural element".Messenger, Dally, Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: a History of the Civil Celebrant Movement, Spectrum Publications, Melbourne (Australia), 2012 Kelly, Fran; Radio Interview with Alain de Botton, RN Breakfast, Australian Broadcasting Commission, Podcast 2012. Most churches and religions claim some extra advantage conferred by the deity e.g.
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The programme broadened to include secular funerals of substance, namings and other ceremonies which celebrated the landmarks of human existence. Murphy took an enthusiastic interest in this programme - sending telegrams of congratulation to the first several hundred couples married by civil celebrants and would often unexpectedly turn up uninvited to weddings performed by celebrants to delight in his achievement.Messenger III, Dally (2012), Murphy’s Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: a History of the Civil Celebrant Movement, Spectrum Publications, Melbourne (Australia), p.41-49 Atmospheric nuclear explosion in the Pacific.
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Funeral celebrant is a formal term denoting members of a group of non-clergy professionals who are committed to preparing and delivering high quality funeral ceremonies, which are not closely linked to any religion or to belief in an after-life. The concept of funeral celebrants is analogous in Western countries to that of civil celebrants (for marriages). Civil celebrant funerals began in Australia in 1975. On 19 July 1973 the Australian Attorney- General Lionel Murphy had appointed civil marriage celebrants with the aim of creating ceremonies of substance and meaning for non-church people.
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According to a 1972 feature article on him in Woman's Day magazine,Franks, Sandra, Woman's Day, "Dally Messenger: Colleagues call him the lawyer", August 21, 1972 pp44-7 and p73 and an article in 2011 in the Docklands NewsDocklands News (Melbourne),Docklands News (Melbourne), “Docklands is just great for Dally”, Issue 69, September–October 2011 p22 which are on his own personal websiteDally Messenger's personal website and information provided in the semi-autobiographical book, Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: A History of the Civil Celebrant Movement,Messenger, Dally, Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: A History of the Civil Celebrant Movement, Spectrum Publications, Melbourne, 2012 . Dally Messenger III was born in Sydney in February 1938, the son of Dally Messenger Junior and Dorothy née Davidson. He was raised in Sydney, but spent most of his school years in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains where he attended St Bernard’s College. Thereafter he returned to Sydney and spent his last year of secondary schooling at Marist Brothers, Parramatta, then worked for several years in banking and wholesale before entering a seminary to study for the Catholic priesthood at St Columba’s College, Springwood, NSW (and later St Patricks’s College, Manly).
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A civil marriage celebrant is authorised by the government to perform legal civil marriages in a dignified and culturally acceptable manner, for those who choose a non-religious ceremony. Civil celebrants also serve people with religious beliefs but who do not wish to be married in a place of worship. In contrast to the established ceremonies of religious or registry office weddings, the couple in celebrant ceremonies make many decisions about the content. Thus, the civil celebrant has the role of a professionally trained ceremony provider who works in accordance with the wishes of the client couple.
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It was designed to provide celebrants and their clients with resources from which clients could compose their own personal secular ceremonies. The book's stated aim was to suggest poetry, music and other artistic components which would lift civil celebrant ceremonies to a level of substance, beauty and meaning that was not generally a part of civil weddings and funerals in the Western world at that time. Messenger sought to help celebrants and their clients find classic poems of quality which could be appreciated by guests when first heard in a ceremony. The book contains poetry and prose from distinguished writers and poets including William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, D.H. Lawrence, Rabindranath Tagore, and Percy Bysse Shelley.
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In celebrant ceremonies decisions about the content of the ceremony are made by the family of the deceased in consultation with the celebrant. Therefore, the civil celebrant can be defined as a professionally trained ceremony-provider who works in accordance with the wishes of the client. Depending on circumstances, best practice is usually for funeral celebrants to interview the family, carefully prepare and check the eulogy, brief those persons chosen to give reminiscences, and finally to provide resources and suggestions that will assist the client family to choose the most appropriate music, video/photo presentations, quotations (poetry and prose), symbols and movement or choreography. Sometimes a rehearsal is indicated for a funeral.
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As secular (civil) marriage ceremonies became accepted, first in Australia and then in other Western countries such as New Zealand, and much later in the United States of America it was inevitable that a similar philosophical paradigm would be applied to secular funerals.Messenger, Dally (2012), Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: a History of the Civil Celebrant Movement, Spectrum Publications, Melbourne (Australia), pp148-192 Though initiated in Australia, and recognised as such, the program and the process has been followed and is now established in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States of America.NOTE:see for the USA Celebrant Foundation and InstituteNOTE: for the United Kingdom see Humanist celebrant and Humanists UKNOTE:for various other countries see Dally Messenger III (section Civil celebrancy in the UK etc.
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Many good celebrants were forced out of the field due to the low remuneration. In the context of the fixed fee, those who stayed practising marriage celebrants did far too many marriages to earn enough remuneration for their personal needs. Despite Lionel Murphy’s clear declarations to the contrary, some powerful public servants began to classify the office of marriage celebrant as a "community service" which led to a further deterioration of professional standards. Says Messenger: > … the public service and the government had all but destroyed the Civil > Marriage Celebrant Program by freezing the fee, forcing down standards and > frustrating the good celebrants out of the business.Messenger III, Dally > (2012), Murphy’s Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: a History of the Civil > Celebrant Movement, Spectrum Publications, Melbourne (Australia), Chapter 42 Despite these debilitating policy initiatives, a minority core of celebrants sustained high standards.
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