A Perthshire minister is offering online funerals after the coronavirus crisis put a halt to public ceremonies.
The Reverend Dr Marjory MacLean will hold the services alone in the church, before broadcasting them to friends and family who are prevented from attending.
Dr MacLean, who is minister of Abernyte, linked with Inchture and Kinnaird and Longforgan, decided to act after restrictions on traditional funerals were put in place by the Church of Scotland.
She said: “Often a funeral in our tradition consists of what is essentially a memorial service and a separate very short committal service, often attended only by the family.
“While committal services are very constrained at the moment, this idea allows the memorial service to be attended by anyone.”
The Church of Scotland has decreed that no funeral service can take place in church buildings, which have been closed for all activities.
Attendance at services held elsewhere must be limited to immediate close family – parents or the spouse and the couple’s adult children, but not their partners.
Dr MacLean, convener of the Chaplains to Her Majesty’s Forces Committee, said the family could choose to hold a wake using online video conferencing tools.
She said: “If we can do Sunday services using social media platforms like YouTube, then why not memorial services in place of traditional funerals?
“From the family’s point of view, the usual conversation takes place with the minister by phone or video conference to plan the service and given directions about the tribute and so on.
“A period of time, perhaps a few hours, is agreed upon as the time the service will be publicly available on our YouTube channel.
“The family sends that information and the link to anyone they know would have attended the funeral.
“It could be followed up by something like a scheduled Zoom call for the whole family to share their memories and even each raise a glass to the person whose life has been celebrated in this way.”
Rev Dr George Whyte, principal clerk of the General Assembly, is supportive of the move where possible.
He said: “The very restricted attendance now allowed at funeral services means that even people who are very close to the deceased will not be able to be present.
“This is a chance to be reminded of the good memories of shared life and the appreciation of their friend or loved ones gifts.
“I’m sure that for many of them to be able to hear a tribute on the day the funeral takes place would be a great comfort in their loss.”
