St. Paul's United Church Scarborough

Losing a loved one is never an easy time; whether it is a spouse, child, beloved relative, or long-time friend.  Often it is a time of very strong and mixed emotions, especially if the person who has died has been ill a long time or was very young, died through a tragedy of some kind, or was simply a difficult person.  Whatever the circumstances, we at St. Paul’s would be honoured to help you acknowledge this important milestone in a manner that would feel right, authentic, and meaningful.

The terms funeral, memorial, and celebration of life are used somewhat interchangeably. At St. Paul’s we believe that the important aspects of the service, whatever it might be called, are to celebrate and remember a life lived with stories about the person, to acknowledge openly and honestly the fact of the death so we can grieve without hesitation or pretense, and to profess that death is not the ultimate and final word.

At the core of our belief, we hold that in life, in death, and in life beyond death, we are not alone; God is with us always. In acknowledging a death and living with the grief that inevitably follows such a loss, we encourage you to speak to one of our ministers to help plan a suitable celebration/service and for support in your loss.