Remkus Becomes a Reverend

As a child, looking out over the marshland in North Haven, Nancy Remkus felt a divine spark awaken in her, as her grandmother turned to her and said, “Thank God for your eyes, so you can see all that beauty.”

It was that moment that placed Remkus on a path embracing her spirituality, a path that most recently has resulted in her ordainment in June at Riverside Church in Manhattan as the Reverend Nancy Remkus through the One Spirit Interfaith Seminary.

“Her connection to God and beauty really started me on this path,” said Remkus on Tuesday. “Now I say the same thing to my nephews, hoping one day it will resonate with them as it did with me.”

The Sag Harbor native was raised in a traditional Catholic household, singing at St. Andrews Roman Catholic Church as a young girl and into womanhood. The current kindergarten teacher at Sag Harbor Elementary School, who was most recently the school’s music teacher, said she has always felt a connection to God, but yearned for a spiritual education based on tolerance and understanding of all faiths rather than one focused on a single spiritual path.

That desire was what brought her to the One Spirit Interfaith Seminary, also known as the One Spirit Learning Alliance, a seminary based on teaching traditions of numerous faiths across the world, with a focus on the core beliefs many religions share like peace, tolerance, service, compassion and love. The interfaith program was founded by Reverend Diane Berke, Ph.D and Reverend Joyce Liechenstein, Ph.D, and offers students two-year, part time training towards ordination as an interfaith minister.

“It truly is a program that honors all paths,” said Remkus. “It is a more inclusive vision of what spirituality is, and that is what the people who attended, like me, were looking for.”

It was a philosophy Remkus had yearned for in years past, even going through pastoral education in the Catholic Church over a decade ago before her daughter Siena was born.

“I always had a yearning for something more inclusive,” she said.

One Spirit Interfaith Seminary is located in New York City, but  has similar interfaith programs around the country and in the United Kingdom. A lot of the students at One Spirit, noted Remkus, maintain their own religious tradition, whether it is Catholicism, Buddhism or Hinduism.

While Remkus said she has found her own personal spirituality is connected largely to the natural world, a world easy to embrace living on the East End of Long Island, she added her core Christian beliefs are still a part of her belief system, and always will be.

“But making the connection between God and nature is easier when you live here,” she said. “Nothing is holier to me than being out in my kayak or walking my dog.”

“In my class we had so many religious traditions and background represented,” said Remkus, adding the diversity leant to a greater learning experience for everyone involved.

“My upbringing was pretty traditional, so I really had to open my eyes and my heart in this program,” she said. “It was probably one of the greatest learning experiences of my life.”

This lesson of self discovery, said Remkus, was one of the most valuable aspects of the program.

“Another is that we are all connected,” she said.

Where this path will lead Remkus is still something she is trying to figure out, she admitted, noting now she would like to take time and reflect on what she learned at One Spirit, before charting her next course. While spending time with her family and preparing for a new school year as a kindergarten teacher are top priorities, her education at One Spirit will likely have an effect on how she leads her daily life, said Remkus.

“I think just in me being a more loving, compassionate person in daily practice is a part of this journey for me, discovering who I am and what path is next,” she said, adding she can officially officiate weddings, memorials and blessings as a reverend, but that she may take some time before she takes up that mantle.

“One day I would love to be the pastor of my own little church, helping people in need, being a part of the important moments, rituals in their lives, but I am not sure how that can unfold,” she said. “I will keep my eyes and my mind open and see where this leads me. I will take this one day at a time and see what opportunities come my way and hope my spirituality will lead me where I want to be.”