I was ordained as an Interfaith Minister on Saturday, September 15th by the Chaplaincy Institute Interfaith Community in Berkeley, California. The beautiful, powerful two-hour long ceremony was held in the early evening at Christ Church in Berkeley. It was an emotional, deeply moving ceremony and I am thrilled to now be Rev. Cynthia Westby. With my husband, Eric, and seven other good friends who live in the area as my support and witness, I felt held in community and blessed by them, by all of you, and by the Chaplaincy Institute Interfaith Community. It was an incredibly memorable experience.
Below is a video of my homily (4 minutes long), a video of my being announced as a minister (14 seconds long), and two photos: one as I am being blessed in my ministry, and the other when I am announced to the congregation as a minister.
I am deeply grateful for all the support and encouragement I received from all of you at Westside during this year of work to graduate and complete my ordination requirements at the Chaplaincy Institute in Berkeley, California. Your generosity and kindness were deeply important to me and I’m so grateful to all of you.
I am still processing what being ordained means to me. It was clear during and since the ordination ceremony that being ordained, being a minister and chaplain, is causing a shift in my internal world and transforming me. How? That will take time to answer. Stay tuned!
Rev. Cynthia being blessed as a minister
Rev. Cynthia Westby, now a minister!