• “My dad was a Christian man who spent his time living those values but did not attend church regularly. When he passed away, we want to honor those values and the man he was to all. We cannot express how grateful we are for the incredible support and compassion provided by Jonathan during my dad's funeral service. Despite only meeting our family once and never having the chance to meet my dad, he managed to create a deeply personal and meaningful Christian burial service that honored my dad's memory in the most beautiful way. His ability to understand our needs and craft a service that reflected our desires and my dad's personality was truly remarkable. His dedication to providing comfort and solace during such a difficult time will always be remembered and cherished by our family. So many have commented how personal the services felt and it was Jonathan who helped create that feeling. With eternal gratitude.”

    - Kelly B., Braintree MA

  • “Thank you for everything you did, Jonathan, to shepherd my siblings and I through our brother Kevin’s Celebration of Life. Your calm, reverent manner made a difficult day more bearable. You lifted us up with your words and carried us forward in our grief. Thank you for appreciating Kevin’s life and reminding us of the many lives he impacted. You truly captured Kevin’s spirit, love of life, family, travel, and teaching. We will continue to share his legacy of kindness and caring with all those we meet.”

    – Wendy G., Scituate, MA

  • “I just wanted to thank you again, Jonathan, for the amazing job you did as Celebrant at my brother Kevin's Celebration of Life. Your words brought comfort at such a difficult time and let us all know it was OK to have whatever emotions we had. But most of all you encouraged all of us to remember Kevin by continuing to live life the way he lived it, being kind and helpful to those around us. Again, thank you for making a very difficult day bearable.”

    – Lisa D., Scituate, MA

  • “My husband of forty-three years passed away suddenly in early December. We had both been raised and married in the Roman Catholic church but over the years we did not believe in the dogma of that faith anymore. We eventually drifted towards Buddhism, although I would not consider us formal Buddhists. I believe my husband believed in a higher power. When we were planning the celebration of life service, the funeral director recommended Jonathan. We had never met. Jonathan turned out to be the perfect choice. He contacted my family and me several times to learn about my husband and how best he could incorporate Brett's qualities into the service. He respected my wish to have something read by Thich Nhat Hanh, our favorite Buddhist teacher. We asked him to add some lightness and laughter to the service , which he did. Many attendees commented on how lovely the service was and how, they too, would like a similar service when the time comes. I know I do.”

    – Gail J., Scituate, MA

  • "My husband died recently. His passing was both tragic and sudden. When I called the funeral home, all I could think to tell them was that I wanted friends and family to be able to gather for a service, but I had no idea what a service might look like, or how someone might find a way to speak to our grief. The funeral home director told me, "I have someone who will know how to help you." That someone was David. He met with me and my family for several hours. He didn't rush us, he listened patiently, and, when all was said and done, he did help us, not only to create a service that felt like our own but to know that we will be okay."

    Kim, Greenwich, RI

  • "My Dad passed away after a long 10 month battle with cancer. It was the most heartbreaking, yet touching year for my entire family. Talking about death and the afterlife is not something that most people look forward to speaking about, but Jonathan made it so comfortable and easy for all of us to feel at ease. Although my Dad wanted the ceremony to be in a church, he was never super religious. When you are fighting for your life though, I think faith can really play an important role and is something many people lean on to get through it. Jonathan used faith, spirituality, and stories to bring peace and comfort to everyone who lost my Dad, Austin. The ceremony was extremely personal - through storytelling, laughing, crying, and praying. Just days before my Dad passed away, Jonathan made a visit to see all of us together. He truly cared about my family, and has continued to check in with us even after his passing. I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that Jonathan approached the entire situation with grace, passion, honesty, and love. We knew that our Dad was smiling from up above during the entire process. Thank you for being an important part of our journey, Jonathan."

    – Sarah T., Walpole, MA

  • “When my Father passed away suddenly I was in so much shock and grief and organizing a service in his memory seemed completely overwhelming and painful to me. I decided to use a 'celebrant' (Jonathan) and couldn't be more pleased with that decision. From the beginning, Jonathan met with me and very compassionately talked with me to deeply understand my Father and his qualities/legacy. Jonathan is a great synthesizer of a lot of different information, stories, and most importantly weaving it all together into a service and personal words that were a perfect representation and fit with not only my Father but also the rest of the service. Jonathan did a nice job in tailoring the 'vibe' of the service to match exactly our family's wishes and struck a nice balance between 'celebration of life' with 'memorial' tones. I would highly recommend Jonathan for those who aren't necessarily looking for a highly religious service and want to adapt a variety of service elements together. Thank you, Jonathan, on behalf of myself, my Family, and my Father for such great partnership, listening skills, and a lovely fitting tribute to my Father.”

    – Sandra P., Weymouth , MA

  • "David recently officiated a service for my sister-in-law. Neither she nor our family is especially religious, and we were having a difficult time coming together to decide what we wanted the service to be like. David did a wonderful job working with all our differences. As part of the service, he helped us choose some poetry and music that my sister-in-law would have loved, and his shared words, though not religious, were comforting, hopeful, and personal, and that made it sacred."

    — Tom, Holbrook, MA

  • “Jonathan, I just wanted you to know what a wonderful job you did at A’s service. It is crystal clear God provided you with the compassion and skill set to provide guidance and comfort to the families, friends and loved ones of those struggling with so many different emotions and trying to navigate what that all means. You letting everyone know it was ok to experience the tears, laughter, highs and lows of losing a loved one allowed everyone to realize it is ok to not only show those emotions but share them with others. Thank you!”

    – Randy C., Walpole, MA

  • “I wish to thank you so much for the special touch you added to Richard’s funeral ceremony. The service was perfect, you definitely are in your true position in life!”

    – Barbara S., Scituate, MA

  • "My mom passed away in July. She was not an overly religious person and did not wish to have a formal funeral. Our family organized a small graveside service, and Jonathan was recommended to us by the local funeral home to organize and lead it. We connected with him prior to the service to discuss the format and share some information and memories about our mother. At the service, Jonathan was able to capture her spirit with his kind and comforting words and readily adapted his style to be on the informal side which is just what she would have wanted. We couldn't have been happier with Jonathan and are thankful for his ability to help us through this difficult time."

    — John Z., Marshfield, MA

  • “My dad passed away recently and, since he had no recent church affiliation, we were looking for someone who could lead us in a graveside service for him. Mary at Richardson Gaffey Funeral Home recommended Jonathan to us. He was absolutely perfect. His demeanor, his comforting manner and his ability to capture the essence of who Dad was and how he lived was so accurate and heartfelt. It was like he had known Dad for years.”

    — Art M., Cohasset, MA

  • “Jonathan recently spoke at my husband's funeral. His unique style and delivery of words touched all. He has a way of letting good memories come to life. He was kind, thoughtful, and a blessing.”

    — Susan T., Lincoln, RI

  • “Having Jonathan as a guide to shepherd us through the logistical and emotional hurdles of planning a funeral service both made the process less daunting to execute and made the final product a more fitting and special tribute to my uncle’s life. Jonathan listened attentively as I told him about my uncle, and his collaborative spirit and insights helped create a safe and sacred space for my family. We incorporated elements of our family’s faith tradition (Greek Orthodox icons, incense, and funereal prayers) as well as more personalized elements (Beatles songs, family testimonials) into a beautiful service. Jonathan’s preparedness, flexibility, and pastoral approach were deeply appreciated.”

    — Jayson T.,, Whitman, MA

  • "Jonathan was a comforting presence at Pop-Pop’s Life Celebration. Jonathan had never met Pop-Pop, so he spent time with our family to hear stories, and learn about who Pop-Pop was and what made him so special to everyone he met. We were two families mourning the same man, and Jonathan navigated what could have been an uncomfortable setting with ease, grace and well placed humor. Jonathan also accompanied our families to Bourne National Cemetery where he helped make that brief ceremony so much more meaningful with his eloquent words of comfort. If you’re looking for an individual to help guide you and your family through the process of saying good-bye to your loved one, in whatever fashion is right for your family, I encourage you to talk to Jonathan. His warmth and kindness will win you over and you will feel well taken care of during a time when you need that most.”

    — Aimee Y., Norwell, MA

  • “The process of planning my father’s August 2023 graveside service from 3,000 miles away initially felt quite daunting. When Megan, the local funeral director, suggested that I call Jonathan Pierce, I admit I was apprehensive, and put off calling for a while. I wasn’t sure how I could adequately explain all that my wonderful father was over the span of his 94 years on this earth. When I did reach out to Jonathan, he put me immediately at ease with his warmth and kindness. Through his insightful questions, Jonathan was able to capture, and later convey, the essence of who my father was. He also elegantly acknowledged the life of our mother, who after 69 years of marriage to our father, had passed away during the height of the pandemic lockdown in 2020. Most of us present at my father’s service had been unable to travel for our mother’s service. This was the second gift we were given that day, the ability to honor and celebrate not only our father, but also our mother.”

    — Tracy G., Cohasset, MA

  • “My now-husband and I asked Jonathan to officiate our wedding and couldn't be happier with the decision. My family got to know Jonathan when he worked with us as a hospice chaplain during my mom's illness and subsequent death several years before. During that time, I know he was a comfort especially to my parents, and when he officiated our mom's memorial service, he helped to strike just the right balance of celebrating her life and memory and also leaving space to grieve her loss, from guiding our family privately as we planned to leading selected songs and welcoming guests to share memories at the service. When we were planning our wedding, Adrian and I knew that we wanted a fairly non-religious, short-and-sweet ceremony that still felt significant and special to us, and we weren't sure where to start. I tracked Jonathan down through an old business card and some helpful former co-workers and am so grateful that it worked out to have him as our officiant! He took the time to meet with me and Adrian (who he hadn't met before) early on over beers at a local brewery, and we both felt really comfortable sharing our story and our vision for the wedding with him. He shared a really helpful template for the ceremony with us, was open and flexible to our thoughts (from general tone to specific edits), and even patient with my procrastinating/last-minute edits (I don't recomend the last bit!). Our ceremony was just what I imagined; Jonathan again struck just the right balance - personable without being overly casual, moments of joy and humor as well as some of the more serious classic wedding moments. He also made sure everything ran smoothly (brought copies for our friends who did readings, etc.) Everything felt very "us" and personal, and several guests told us afterwards how much they loved the ceremony. It was also really special to me and my dad and sister to feel like we had an extra link to my mom at the ceremony through Jonathan's warmth and support.”

    — Emma B., Boston, MA