More and more people from all different backgrounds are choosing to have interfaith ceremonies.

What is an interfaith ceremony?

It is a ceremony that celebrates the spirituality which unites us and honors our differences with respect, love and joy. God is called by many names and has billions of faces. In an interfaith ceremony we remember that it is love that transcends all, and it is within our hearts where we find common ground. As Albert Einstein put it, "Remember your humanity!" The spiritual teachings at the core of all religious traditions and humanist philosophies are emphasized. Rituals, blessings and prayers are offered in a way that is appropriate for interfaith, intercultural gatherings.

I have been privileged to work with people of all faiths, cultures and colors. Our ceremonies are personal, heartfelt, inclusive and elegant. They are ceremonies from the heart. Each service is unique and completely reflective of you, your beliefs and traditions. We work through the most sensitive issues with care, love and encouragement.

After an humanist ceremony I had conducted, a man came over to me and said, "I want you to know that I agree with your theology." I tilted my head in amusement as it happened to be a ceremony where the word God was not mentioned, nor had I espoused any particular theology. I then put my hand gently upon this man’s hand and replied, "It is a theology of the heart." Hence, the title for the first chapter of my book: "What is Interfaith? A Philosophy of the Heart"

To learn more about the book, see: Joining Hands and Hearts, Interfaith, Intercultural Wedding Celebrations, A Practical Guide for Couples

A function of a celebrant is to help bring the congregation from the everyday eating, drinking, walking life into the sense of the sacred.

We must remove the veil to see the transcendent in the everyday. We must see with the eye of the heart. I think of the words of Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan,

"Our religious ceremonies are but the shadows of that great worship celebrated
in the heavens by the legions of heavenly beings..."

Life is an echo of the infinite. To feel connected to life, we need to hear the song of the universe. For we, life and universe are in essence one. As celebrant, spiritual counselor, author and artist, it is my vision, my prayer to hear and participate in that song. In doing so it is my hope to help others to hear the song as well."

Rev. Susanna Stefanachi Macomb

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Ceremony photo [top] © Sarah Merians, 2003