Wedding Solemniser

HeeBeeGeeBee

Hi folks,

I got married last year by a spiritualist wedding solemniser and it was fantastic. We picked all our own readings, vows etc. and it was nothing to do with religion or anything, just the two of us and our families and friends. Basically, it got me thinking that it would be something I think I could do a good job of myself and I think it would be a very rewarding job. Does anyone know how you can become a wedding solemniser in Ireland and whether or not you have to be affiliated with any type of religious group (Which I'm not).

Many thanks,

HeeBeeGeeBee

Realtine

I remember looking this up before - not sure why tbh it seems to be terribly hard information to find but perhaps the link below will at least give you a start.


http://www.welfare.ie/en/pressoffice/pdf/pr201212.pdf

pooch90

First page of that document states you have to be part of a body of some description, humanist or otherwise.

Realtine

pooch90 wrote: »

First page of that document states you have to be part of a body of some description, humanist or otherwise.

yea probably not very helpful really
Hard to find any information anywhere online on how to actually be a solemniser though.

Peregrinus

Realtine wrote: »

yea probably not very helpful really
Hard to find any information anywhere online on how to actually be a solemniser though.

That's because, the way things are set up in Ireland, solemnisers act as such because of the organisations that they represent - churches and (now) the Humanist Association. It's assumed that those organisations will be sufficiently clued-in to find out what they have to do in order to get their ministers or officers accredited, and there's no need (and no justification for spending taxpayer's money) to disseminate this information more widely.

The registration of individuals as wedding solemnisers is governed by the Civil Registration Act 2004, as amended. Application for registration is made, not by the person who wants to be a solemniser, but by the Health Services Executive (for civil registrars employed by the HSE), or by a relgious or secular body (for their members).

There are no requirements as to who may be nominated by a church or religious body, beyond the fact that the person nominated must be a member of the church, and over 18. This probably results from the notion of the separation of church and state; it's really not for the state to say who may, and who may not, be commissioned by a church to celebrate religious weddings. But this hands-off approach is only practicable because, in practice, churches only register their professed ministers as wedding celebrants.

A secular body can also nominate anybody they like, so long as (a) the person is a member of the secular body, and (b) they are over 18. But they have to certified that the person nominated is a fit and proper person to celebrate weddings, and that they have been selected, trained and accredited to celebrate weddings in accordance with procedures that have previously been agreed with the Registrar General.

So, if you want to celebrate weddings, and assuming you are not employed to do so by the Health Services Executive, the only options are:

(a) Get yourself registered as a solemniser by a church or religious body of which you are a member. Mostly, they'll only nominate people in the professional ministry of the church.

(b) Get yourself selected, trained, accredited and certified by a "secular body" of which you are a member. It's expected that, at least for the near-to-medium future, the only secular body in a position to do this will be the Humanist Association of Ireland.

HeeBeeGeeBee

Peregrinus wrote: »

That's because, the way things are set up in Ireland, solemnisers act as such because of the organisations that they represent - churches and (now) the Humanist Association. It's assumed that those organisations will be sufficiently clued-in to find out what they have to do in order to get their ministers or officers accredited, and there's no need (and no justification for spending taxpayer's money) to disseminate this information more widely.

The registration of individuals as wedding solemnisers is governed by the Civil Registration Act 2004, as amended. Application for registration is made, not by the person who wants to be a solemniser, but by the Health Services Executive (for civil registrars employed by the HSE), or by a relgious or secular body (for their members).

There are no requirements as to who may be nominated by a church or religious body, beyond the fact that the person nominated must be a member of the church, and over 18. This probably results from the notion of the separation of church and state; it's really not for the state to say who may, and who may not, be commissioned by a church to celebrate religious weddings. But this hands-off approach is only practicable because, in practice, churches only register their professed ministers as wedding celebrants.

A secular body can also nominate anybody they like, so long as (a) the person is a member of the secular body, and (b) they are over 18. But they have to certified that the person nominated is a fit and proper person to celebrate weddings, and that they have been selected, trained and accredited to celebrate weddings in accordance with procedures that have previously been agreed with the Registrar General.

So, if you want to celebrate weddings, and assuming you are not employed to do so by the Health Services Executive, the only options are:

(a) Get yourself registered as a solemniser by a church or religious body of which you are a member. Mostly, they'll only nominate people in the professional ministry of the church.

(b) Get yourself selected, trained, accredited and certified by a "secular body" of which you are a member. It's expected that, at least for the near-to-medium future, the only secular body in a position to do this will be the Humanist Association of Ireland.

Thanks a million for this, great information!

Thanks also to other posts