Photo 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.
