Mary Alice O'Connor

I am an interfaith minister, ordained in 1991 at a small local ministry called Unity of the Spirit. Unity of the Spirit began as an outreach of a large Unity Church. While Unity is practical Christianity, Unity of the Spirit is an interfaith ministry. I am a spiritual teacher, and I learn and teach from my experiences in life and my experience of Spirit. I sometimes call myself a “minister on the loose” because I don’t have a church and because “minister at large” sounds criminal.

My work is spiritual rehabilitation in the sense of remembering who we really are and in rediscovering our personal connection to something larger than ourselves. We are very powerful beings who have been lied to about that power.

I love rituals. I have performed many, many weddings and find joy in assisting couples in finding the right words to express their love. I also officiate at commitment ceremonies and re-commitment ceremonies to honor anniversaries or to re-define relationships. I perform Christenings, Memorial Services, Relationship Release Rituals and baby shower rituals.

In a nutshell I would say that I came to earth to help myself and all beings wake up to our spiritual core, to our inherent beauty, strength, power, love and interconnection. I am dedicated to freeing self-expression, guiding authenticity in the face of fear, and recovering natural light-heartedness through educating individuals and couples, and conducting rituals and ceremonies.

I also am the Executive Director of the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center in Walnut Creek.