Sacred Crossings Alternative Funeral Home

A home funeral is a family or community-centered response to death and after-death care. Families may prepare the body, plan ceremonies, file paperwork, transport the deceased, and facilitate final disposition.

A vigil or 'wake' is a period of time, usually 1-3 days, when the body is laying in honor while family and friends visit to pay their respects and say goodbye. The funeral service most often takes place in the home on the 3rd day before the body is taken to the crematory or cemetery.

Home funeral guides are advocates for family-centered and family-led funerals who educate families on their innate right to care for their own dead. They serve as guides and educators, not directors, emphasizing minimal, non-invasive, and environmentally-friendly care.

A death midwife assists an individual and their family through the transition of death, just as a birth midwife assists with birth. A Sacred Crossings death midwife incorporates roles of spiritual counselor, death doula, home funeral guide, funeral planner, and celebrant.

In almost all 50 states, families have the legal right to care for loved ones after death. Alabama, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, and New York have various restrictions. For more information, visit the Funeral Consumers Alliance.

A home funeral guide conducts in-home consultation, arrives within 3 hours of death notification, educates families on body care, the body is laid 'in honor' with dry-ice preservation for 1-3 days, cremation casket is delivered and decorated, paperwork is completed, funeral service is held in the home or other venue, and body is transported for final disposition.

Yes. Caring for an intact body naturally at home using gentle, non-invasive techniques poses far less potential hazards than one that is compromised and chemically treated at a funeral home.

No. In almost all states you have the legal right to act as the funeral director on behalf of your loved one, including responsibility for completing and filing necessary paperwork. A Sacred Crossing Guide can support you through the entire process.

Yes. Children are naturally curious about death and benefit from home funerals where they see that death is simple, natural, and often beautiful. Decorating the cremation box is therapeutic and provides a creative outlet for feelings.

Yes. Sacred Crossings offers Pet Crossing Guide services including pet hospice counseling, veterinary referrals, euthanasia support, body preparation for vigil, funeral or memorial service, and burial or cremation.

Although Sacred Crossings can assist at any time, it is advisable to make an appointment for a home consultation a few weeks or months before death is expected. A Home Funeral Guide will discuss wishes and help with preparations.

Sacred Crossings services Los Angeles, Orange County, Long Beach, Pasadena, Ventura, Santa Monica, and surrounding areas including LA County and San Fernando Valley.