All of life is sacred. From our names, to our partners, to where we live and work. When we intentionally dedicate our lives to the Holy, all that we do takes on new meaning. Every religious tradition reflects this.

As feminist ministers and scholars, we consider ourselves, "sisters of the holy road." Our vision of "another possible world" includes religious diversity, gender, sexual, racial, and economic justice and deep care for the environment. While we are clear about our own faith tradition, we have spent the better part of our lives studying global religious traditions, visiting ashrams in India, meditating in Cambodia and Thailand, and presenting papers on feminist theology in Iran, Indonesia, South Korea, Nairobi and elsewhere. With this wealth of experience, we will create with you ceremonies that reflect our shared vision and will renew meaning and wholeness to your life.

Rev. Dr. Rue is licensed through the Federation of Christian Ministries.

Mission
Threshold Ceremonies

Wedding Ceremonies
As a lesbian couple we have been together 18 years and both have a Masters of Divinity (M.Div) in Christian theology and experience in interfaith feminist liturgy. We believe that "another world is possible" and we honor the commitments of those coming from a range of relationships and perspectives. This might be your first marriage, your commitment ceremony, or a blended family from two different religious traditions. You may not be religious at all. We can help you create a meaningful ritual that you, your friends and family will cherish and reflects our vision of a vibrant life-embracing world of radical equality and difference. Victoria Rue will officiate.

Simple Ceremony
This is as brief as going to the Court but with the warmth of a more intimate setting. We meet with you once to discuss service and basics of your wedding ceremony. We will help you choose short personal vows. No rehearsal necessary.

Full Ceremony
This is a longer ceremony in which you can choose from a selection of liturgies. We will meet with you once to determine the best choice for you and your partner. No rehearsal necessary.

Unique Personalized Ceremony
For this ceremony we will create a unique liturgy that helps to blend the two stories of your lives into a union. As part of this ceremony we will help you design and stage your wedding in the ways that honor who you are and what you believe.
We will conduct your rehearsal, consult with you several times and provide you with liturgical resources to help you shape this most meaningful part of your ceremony.

Full Roman Catholic Mass
Rev. Dr. Rue, as you might surmise, as an ordained Roman Catholic womanpriest (www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org), the marriage I witness and the ceremony I preside at will not be recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. Nonetheless, I am a Roman Catholic priest, and would work with you to create a Eucharistic Celebration in which your marriage is celebrated. I am also often able to preside at weddings out of state with advance notice.

Baptism/Naming Ceremony
What's in a name? Everything. We will create with you a celebration for the name of your child that will offer a future vision and a remembered past.
Christian baptism welcomes the person into the Christian community. It is a commitment between the baptized person and those that will support her/his journey. Together, we will joyously give expression to this new relationship.

Sacred Spaces
Every religious tradition has set aside sacred space for ritual. In many cultures homes and possessions are blest daily. This is reminder that our world is sacred. We will help you design special places and rituals to bring this awareness into your own home, studio, garden, office, car etc.

House/Place Blessings
We will meet with you on site to discuss what your needs are in relationship to your place/space.

We welcome your donations for these ceremonies.

 

Ceremonies and
Rituals
About Us
             
         
       

Kathryn Poethig, M.Div., Ph.D.

Ph.D. Religion and Society, Graduate Theological Union; M.Div. Union Theological Seminary, NYC; B.A. in Anthropology, University of Chicago.

Kathryn has lived and worked in Southeast Asia for over twenty years and supervised education for Southeast Asian refugees in the US and Asia for 15 years. She was raised in the Philippines as a Presbyterian "missionary kid" and has studied and practiced Vipassana Buddhism in Thailand and Cambodia. As a US feminist Christian engaged in liberation praxis, her work and activism focuses on progressive religious citizenship, particularly in areas of complex conflict and peacemaking. Dr. Poethig is Associate Professor of Global Studies at California State University, Monterey Bay. She is currently in the ordination process as an out lesbian in the Presbyterian Church(USA).

Dr. Poethig is on the Working Committee of the People's Forum on Peace for Life , a Global South-based interfaith initiative resisting militarized globalization and creating life-enhancing alternatives. She has also served on the Board of Center for Women and Religion and has led delegations investigating the intersection of religion and politics to Cambodia/Vietnam, to China for the NGO Forum of the 4th U.N. Conference on Women, and to the Philippines.

To contact Kathryn Poethig: kpoethig@gmail.com
 

Rev. Victoria Rue, M.Div., Ph.D.

Ph.D. Theology and the Arts, Graduate Theological Union; M.Div. Union Theological Seminary, NYC; B.A. in Theater, University Southern California.

Victoria is a Roman Catholic womanpriest, a writer, director and teacher of theatre, and a university lecturer. Her Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union focused on how feminist theatre enacts feminist theology. Dr. Rue has taught Religious Studies and Theology in universities on the west and east coasts for fourteen years. In 2005, Pilgrim Press published her book, Acting Religious: Theatre as Pedagogy in Religious Studies. She is currently a lecturer in Women's Studies and Comparative Religious Studies at San Jose State University.

Dr. Rue has written plays and directed theatre for the past 30 years. Her work as a playwright and director has been seen in theatres in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. For ten years she was on the teaching faculty of the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. She recently created a theatre piece about the Qur'an and is at work on a theatre piece about women mystics from all religious traditions.

She is the co-founder of “A Critical Mass: Women Celebrating Eucharist” in which Roman Catholic women publicly celebrated a monthly feminist Catholic Mass. The group began in Oakland, California in 1997 and celebrated Mass publicly for seven years.

Dr. Rue was ordained a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church in 2004 and was ordained a womanpriest in July 2005 by three womenbishops. She presides at monthly Masses for the Sophia Catholic Community of Santa Cruz (for information: victoria@victoriarue.com ).

For more information:
www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org

Victoria and Kathryn are partners of sixteen years and currently live in Watsonville, California.

To contact Victoria Rue: victoria@victoriarue.com

To Victoria Rue's site: www.victoriarue.com