Why the sad face? Secularization and the changing function of funerals in Newfoundland

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyse the effects of professionalization (within the funeral services industry) on funeral practices in Newfoundland. A significant contemporary characteristic is a trend toward secularization, which has augmented the funeral services industry's claims to professional status, as funeral professionals take over roles that clergy once played. The findings are based on primary research from several sites: funeral directors, clergy, funeral services students and industry literature. Clergy recognize the shift towards personalization in funeral ritual and the move away from a strictly theological purpose for funerals. Funeral directors and funeral services students are keenly aware of the changes taking place in funeral practices. Some of these are seen in a positive light by professionals, others are taken as indicators of serious, even dangerous, trends in our culture. This concern over the potential loss of funeral ritual results in funeral professionals assuming the role of the protectors of these rituals. Thus, the changes in funeral customs are not simply the result of a de-ritualization process or an increasing discomfort with death, but they mark a shift in the practices used in ritualizing death and in the people who are charged with that responsibility.

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