Baby Blessings
Congratulations! With the arrival of your new angel, shall come immense blessings and love. May God bless your family with many happy memories, an abundance of fun, and provide a smile for every tear, a blessing for every trial and an answer for every prayer.
Excerpt from a Baby Blessing ceremony: Today we have come here as a community of family and friends to welcome (Child) and formally recognize him/her as a child of God! This is a gathering of the people who are important and connected to (Child’s parents). You are here today because you are a part of (Child’s) extended family-- either through kinship or friendship. You are people who pledge to love, support and celebrate (Child) and throughout his/her journey in life. Each of you, in your own individual way, will contribute something precious to his/her life. By being present either for (Child) or (Parents of the child) you will be a part of shaping (Child) and his/her life. In his/her growing and becoming you will give him/her priceless gifts, gifts of your love and encouragement, support and example, compassion and wise counsel that will shape who he/she ultimately becomes. Dear (Child’s name), this is the day that we officially welcome you. We wish you long life and much happiness. May you feel God’s love as tangibly as a soft, warm robe that envelops you. May you face all challenges that come to you as a person of integrity, May you continue to bring great joy to your parents, your grandparents, family, friends, and to all those who come to know you. |
Funerals and Memorials
Loving God, the Source and Eternal Giver of life, we have gathered together today to remember and celebrate (our loved one). Bless every good memory of her/him and her/his joyful way of living. Give us the honesty to appreciate her/him simply for who she/he was. When faced with death, we are dismayed at how transient and fleeting life is. Surround each one of us in your beautiful inspiration. Please open our minds and our hearts so we may see the colors of life, all the beauty that is everywhere and so we can find the best path through our grief. Help us see life clearly, in all its details, and help us to appreciate life and one another to the fullest. We ask the angels to stay close to us and fill our hearts with love for all those around us, and all we meet. Help us to appreciate the tender hearts within us, may they be open letting love flow through every fiber of our beings, making life joyous and a true celebration. Today we celebrate LOVE! We celebrate all the love (our loved one) gave and we celebrate our love for her/him. It would be impossible in a short space of time to fully describe the vastness of who (our loved one) was and how much she/he did in her/his lifetime. I remember hearing a story that upon reaching the entry to the afterlife the soul was asked, is one person better because you lived? And if the soul was able to answer yes, she/he was able to enter. As we begin this day of Celebration and remembrance with our family and friends, we cherish the special place in our hearts that will always be reserved for you, (our loved one). We celebrate you, all you have been, all you’ve done and most especially the love we shared. The light of (our loved one)’s love will always shine. (our loved one), we thank you for the gift your living brought to each of us. We love you. We remember you. Although you are no longer with us in the way we were familiar- you will always be a part of us. You are written in our hearts and you live in our memories. |
Ministry Services
Rev. Cathleen leads the Life's Mysteries Group. Life's Mysteries is about gathering together to share the experience of sacredness. It is meant to uplift and inspire, there might be some new ideas and some refreshing of things we know-- reaffirming beliefs or spiritual habits. It's a time to become sacred and also to reflect on ways to develop our everyday spiritual practices and spiritual health. Rev. Cathleen hopes to introduce ways to imagine, see, feel, and be spiritual using more than just words. Some things she introduces you may enjoy, some you may resist, some you may not like and some you just might LOVE. This group will have parts she leads, parts we experience together, and parts that are participatory. By sharing our experiences, thoughts, or stories, we can inspire, encourage, learn and come to know ourselves better and help one another grow in our personal spiritual journey. This group meets on the third Thursday of every month. The suggested donation is $!0. I am the Associate Minister of the Sacred Space Spiritual Group, a Reiki and Meditation Group that meets monthly at a New Leaf Center n Webster. If you are interested in attending, contact me for details. For a year and a half, my colleague, Rev Kris Miller, and I lead a monthly Spiritual Service for residents of the Memory Care Unit at Grande Vie Senior Living Center. Several years ago, Rev Kris and I formed Opening and Awakening to the Spiritually Sacred Retreats to present workshops on a variety of topics. We are now presenting workshops at A New Leaf Center in Webster. Counseling
I offer premarital and couple's counseling for those who are interested.
Excerpts from Premarital Counseling Relationship Questionnaire: *Why are we getting married? *What do we as a couple want out of life? *What does it take to make a marriage work? *Do you think our relationship will change when we are married? *What do you think we'll be doing in thirty or forty years? *Is it possible to make sure our marriage doesn’t end in divorce? *Do you think it is important to be faithful to one another? *Can a marriage be saved after an affair? *Do you think we have problems in our relationship that we need to deal with before our wedding? *Do we handle conflict well? *How are we different? *Do you think our differences will create problems in our marriage? *Do you expect or want me to change? *Can we both forgive? *Are we both willing to work on our communication skills and to share intimately with each other? *How will we make decisions together? *Are we both willing to face into difficult areas or do we try to avoid conflict? |