Credentials

or

What grants Sister Kya Rose the legal and spiritual right to officiate at your wedding?

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I know there's been some talk in the news about fraudulent wedding ministers and couples who've found out that their marriage wasn't legal because their officiant didn't have the proper credentials. I've also heard tell of some more traditional ministers that like to tell couples that anyone who isn't practicing this or that religion is not authorized by the state to solemnize a legal wedding. This page was written as an attempt to correct the misinformation and put your minds at ease.

Michigan state law (which was revised 3/08) currently reads as follows:

Marriages may be solemnized by any of the following:

(List of judges, clerks and mayors skipped)

(i) A minister of the gospel or cleric or religious practitioner, anywhere in the state, if the minister or cleric or religious practitioner is ordained or authorized to solemnize marriages according to the usages of the denomination.
MCL Chapter 83, section 7; 551.7

Currently, Michigan recognizes the right of all ordained or authorized "religious practitioners" to solemnize marriages.

There are several states that do not authorize officiants based solely on their church-issued authority and preaching activities. A few states require wedding officiants to lead a "congregation", register with the state, and/or pay a bond before they are considered authorized to sign a marriage license. Michigan is not one of those states. This page on the Michigan government website confirms it.

Ordination

To be ordained is to be "invested with ministerial functions". The ultimate source of true ordination is our creator, who creates us either with or without an inclination towards ministerial service. Such an inclination is often considered a "calling" and it is up to each individual to recognize and follow his or her calling as they see fit.

I recognized my own calling to ministry shortly after September 11, 2001. I knew in my heart that my response to the suffering caused by the attacks was unique and set me apart from most of my peers. I began to express my beliefs in spiritual terms and define myself and my life in relation to my new spiritual insights. When I discovered the Universal Life Church in January of 2002, I knew that allowing them to ordain me was merely an external validation of the internal, spiritual ordination I had already received from God. I was attracted to the simplicity and morality of the church's two tenets.

• The absolute right of freedom of religion
• To do that which is right

Oddly enough, that little piece of paper strengthened my faith in my convictions and encouraged me to share my knowledge with more and more people. In time, those people recognized my spiritual authority and began to ask me to help them perform ceremonies for them; worship services, weddings, quinceañeras, sabbats and esbats.

In 2006, I began to hear of other states that were revisiting their wedding officiant laws and determining that folks holding ordinations like mine were not authorized to perform legally binding weddings. This concerned me and I began to seek a new ordination, not because I was uncomfortable with my ULC status, but because I wanted to reassure the couples I worked with that my ordination was legitimate and their marriage licenses would not be fraudulent.

I received my next ordination with a laying on of hands by Rev. Anna Garza of the Temple of Earth in Lansing, MI. Once again I was struck by the simple beauty of their creed: The role of every human is to better themselves every day. Words I attempt to live my life by.

Experience

Besides my years of work with ceremony and ritual writing, I've been involved in theatre arts and performing as both an actor and singer since I was in the 4th grade. I continued my studies in High School and was a professional actress/ singer/ playwright with a travelling troupe of players in the Ann Arbor area for several years after graduating from High School. I understand the relationship between weddings and plays and work hard to ensure that every "performance" is a high quality work that draws "rave reviews".

Memberships

As a member of a profession that continues to reinvent and improve itself, I make a special point of staying active in several professional organizations that offer me access to the latest news and trends in the wedding business. I keep up with new ceremony ideas and am never more than an email away from experts in various areas who are willing to assist me in crafting a ceremony that will honor and celebrate virtually any religion, culture, theme and/or lifestyle.

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In brief, Sister Kya Rose is:

• An ordained Interfaith Minister
• With15 years experience in ceremony writing and ritual work
• An academic and professional background in Theatre Arts, Voice, Costuming and Stagecraft
• Dedicated to providing you with the ceremony YOU want
• Pagan friendly
• GLBT friendly
• offering legally binding or purely spiritual weddings (as you wish)

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