loading
reading
writing
saving
searching
Weddings, Memorials, Bereavement and Hospice (HPP)
QR Code Link to This Post
- Weddings
- Memorial Services
- Renewal of Marriage Vows
- Baptism
- Consecration: the declaration of anything as sacred
- bereavement support
- hospice visitation
I have been married more than 30 years, and still celebrate every day I have with my life partner. Every day is still a blessing and that is the intent I will bring to every ceremony I do.
Most of the ceremonies I get called for are weddings or marriage vow renewal ceremonies that are the simple ones with just a couple friends and family. With or without religion, all ceremonies are sacred, transformative moments filled with meaning and purpose. No ceremony is too small to not be sacred.
I am typically available on short notice.
For weddings and marriage vow renewals, I work directly with you to customize your ceremony. We start out with a template that works well for most people. You can work with the standard vows I have or write your own. For blended families, I'm happy to include the children in the ceremony if that works for you.
- Do you want a wedding without religion?
- Are you spiritual but not religious?
- Are you agnostic or atheist?
- Is there more than one religion in this marriage?
Love is love. It is where we find it. I support love between two people.
- All faith traditions
- Those of no faith tradition
- I blow the pū (conch shell) and speak of Hawaiian values as a way of life
- Hoʻokupu gratitude offering bundles
- Handfasting (A Scottish tradition. Memorable and loads of fun!)
- All Gender preferences
The base fee for weddings depends on location:
- $250 (East side of Hawaii Island, where I live)
- $300 (Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach)
- $350 (anywhere else is a 2 hour drive each way, so I charge for that)
There is a modest additional expenses if a state permit for a beach ceremony is needed. Weddings and marriage vow renewal ceremonies must include leis. You are welcome to bring your own or I can get them for you.
I am available for bereavement support for those who are grieving. I am also available to provide an ear to those who are at end-of-life and need to tell their story. I charge $30/hour for my time for these services.
I also do memorial services: I am called to bear witness, hear sorrow and honor pain in times of loss. These times are universally experienced and bring the great questions of meaning and mystery. Everything changes. Everything is impermanent. Death is not possible without there first having been life. There is no such thing as an end-of-the-road without there first having been a road to travel on. I will fashion a memorial and service for your loved one, which will help you to find the strength and courage to deal with your pain.
The base fee for memorial services is $250.
The role of chaplain is to bear witness to suffering, to offer a spiritual perspective in times of challenge, and to help remember that there is always a tomorrow. I have walked into hospital rooms with the dying and their families, listened to their stories, and prayed with them. Interfaith means that I meet you on your spiritual grounds of meaning. I am there to listen and offer solace, instead of judgement. My fee for hospice home visits is $20/hour.
It is not possible to suffer from grief unless there was first love. Whoever knows love will also know loss. Your grief is just your love in another form. To never grieve is to never love and who wants to give that up? I am here to give an ear to those who are having trouble coping with their grief.
About Rev Russ: Ordained by the Chaplaincy Institute of Berkeley, California, Rev Russ has done service work with the Ministry of the Golden Gate, the San Francisco Night Ministry, as well as the work of hospital and hospice chaplain. Rev Russ has borne witness to suffering and brought comfort to those in the worst hours of their lives. His work is one of compassion and giving back to Life.