Rev. Mercy
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PicturePhoto by Jason Dunn, my brother-in-law.

​A growing population of Americans are identifying with either being "spiritual, but not religious"* or part of a multi-faith household. If you are part of these non-traditional groups, you can often feel excluded from a sense of tradition and community, especially when it comes to celebrating important milestones in your life. Traditional religious ceremonies are often infused with a sense of sacredness that can be hard to find elsewhere. However, if you are a part of a multi-faith family, you can feel forced to choose one house of worship over the other for your ceremony. If you are non-religious, you may want a sacred ceremony for your baby, but don't think you have access to one because you can't or don't want to have your child baptized in a particular church.

Hi! I'm Rev. Mercedes Ibarra, or Rev. Mercy, as my friends and family call me. As an Interfaith/Interspiritual Minister, I am especially trained to be of service to these non-traditional families who feel called to celebrate the sacredness of life in their own unique ways. I have studied from many of the sacred texts, tenets, and traditions of most of the world's major religions. I can design a ceremony or service that is custom-tailored to your spiritual needs. A ceremony can be created for anything you consider sacred: a wedding, a baby or child blessing, a funeral or memorial service, a rite-of-passage, etc.. I can also provide spiritual counseling if you are going through a major life event or looking for a new way to express your spirituality or develop a spiritual practice.

So, you're probably wondering, how did I get here?  

Well, it's been a long, unusual path. For the past 25 years, I have been a Flamenco dancer and have been teaching since 2009. I currently teach at the Orange County School of the Arts in the Ballet Folklorico Conservatory. I also teach workshops for elementary school children through various non-profits.
Picture
PictureBelieve it or not, this photo was taken with a disposable Kodak camera by our friend, David Kaufmann.
I have also been married to my best friend, Tarik, since 2001. We met through mutual friends while I was an undergraduate at UCLA and he was working in post-production in Hollywood. We were friends for a couple of years until one night we both showed up to a party wearing suits when no one else was. Suddenly, I was in love. A month later, I asked him out on a date and we've been together ever since.

During my 20s and 30s, I spent a lot of time having a lot of fun (lots of parties and travel), but in the background, I was on a spiritual quest. I finally reached the point of labeling myself as "spiritual, but not religious" when I felt that I could no longer call a single place of worship my home. I grew up in a Cuban Catholic household peppered with traces of the Yoruban Lukumi spiritual tradition. In my 20s, I found yoga, which led me to an exploration of Hinduism. Tarik is a Muslim-turned-atheist, but surprisingly, he's the one who introduced me to Buddhism through the books he had acquired from taking classes on the subject in college. I found love and a connection to something greater through every path I explored. I got to a point where I could no longer choose one over the others. I decided to establish a deeper connection with God/the Divine/the Universe/the Great Spirit, etc., by diving deeper into all the great traditions. I attended One Spirit Interfaith Seminary and was ordained as an Interfaith/Interspiritual Minister in 2016. During this time, I also began volunteering in hospice. I actually thought my work post-seminary would be more related to hospice and end-of-life care. I never imagined performing weddings or baby blessings. Then one day, during seminary, I found myself officiating my friend's son's blessing ceremony, and then soon after my ordination, I flew to South Carolina to officiate my friend's wedding. I realized I was in love with what I was doing. I really loved creating ceremony and ritual to celebrate people's big milestones and the feedback from friends and strangers alike was that they loved when I did so as well! So now, this is what I do and I feel at home doing it. I love to make my clients feel at home in the process as well, especially since it's all about them and their lives and their love. I use my experience and training to be an empathetic presence to those in need, to help guide those looking for a new spiritual practice, and to create beautiful, unique ceremonies and rituals for individuals and families who understand that all paths lead to love.

Want to talk to me about your event? Need some guidance? Contact me: revmercedesibarra@gmail.com

*Term used by the Pew Research Center: http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise-religion/

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