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Meet Our Officiants
Meet Our Officiants
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Eileen McCafferty DiFranco: Philadelphia, Northern and Western Suburbs, New Jersey Eileen is a quintessential people person. She loves meeting new people and thoroughly enjoys hearing the stories of their lives. Helping couples plan their own special day provides the most joyous aspects of her life’s work. Eileen’s years of working as a school nurse in Philadelphia have given her an appreciation of the many paths that bring people together as couples, families and friends. She is acutely aware of the transforming power of love and its ability to overcome language, cultural, and religious differences. Read More | |
| Eileen McCafferty DiFranco |
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Timothy Ray Dalton:– Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, Delaware Valley and South Jersey.Tim loves a good story. Serving as a pastor of a small church in Montgomery County and as a hospice chaplain in South Jersey, he has had many opportunities to witness the life stories of others in a very personal way. Tim holds that all the twists and turns of our lives’ stories (sometimes known as “drama”) have something to teach us and provide occasions for growth and healing. Read More | |
| Timothy Ray Dalton |
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Irene Fulton: All Eastern Pennsylvania regions, Southern New Jersey from Princeton to Cape May. Irene’s eclectic spirituality ranges from traditional Christian to Native American to New Age as well as all interfaith traditions. Even as she honors current wedding tradition, she is also our Renaissance and Celtic ritual expert and enjoys creating ceremonies that honor ages past. Read More | |
| Irene Fulton |
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Bob Pileggi: Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and Beyond Bob finds deep satisfaction in creating and facilitating space where couples, their families and friends can fully experience life's most poignant and valuable moments. In addition to his work with Journeys of the Heart, he dedicates his life to working with people who seek to "experience the moment" through ceremony, mindfulness meditation coaching, yoga instruction, spiritual counseling, breath coaching and energy work. Bob offers individual sessions, workshops, and multi-day retreats to guide others toward a sense of unconditional acceptance, compassion, peace, joy, and gratitude for life. He is happy mixing spiritual, secular and/or cultural traditions to create ceremonies that are meaningful expressions of people's lives. Read More | |
| Bob Pileggi |
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Diane Smith-Hoban, Administrator of Journeys of the Heart and Officiant: Greater Philadelphia and Delaware Valley Region In addition to officiating weddings, funerals and baby blessings, Diane is also the administrator of Journeys of the Heart and, as such, is happily involved in the day-to-day aspects of this soul satisfying work. She loves connecting with people about their weddings or other ceremony needs.Read More | |
| Diane Smith Hoban |
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Naila Francis: Eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey. Naila (pronounced Ny lah) is an unabashed romantic, which makes it no surprise that she tends to fall a little in love with every couple she marries, elevated as much by the depth and beauty of their connection as she is by the tremendous gratitude and sense of honor she feels to be present at such an occasion. She does admit, however, that one of her wedding highlights remains reciting the opening words of the Impressive Clergyman from the film “The Princess Bride” during one of her ceremonies at the request of the bride and groom, Read More | |
| Naila Francis |
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David Braneky: Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and Entire Delaware Valley David believes that all life is sacred and that working with couples to create a wedding ceremony that reflects their love, values, hopes and dreams is profoundly enriching to their life as well as his own. He seeks to create a joyous ceremony for them and all who celebrate with them and is grateful that Journeys of the Heart provides a place where he can provide that service to such a wide variety of couples. David is an ordained minister and serves as the pastor of a vibrant faith community committed to issues of service and justice in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Read More | |
| David Braneky |
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Maria Odilia Romeu: Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and Beyond Maria Odilia was born in Africa, the child of a Dutch mother and a Puerto Rican father. Regretfully, she speaks neither of her parents’ native languages, but enjoys a close relationship with her overseas relatives - who all speak English! She is intrigued and delighted by cultural diversity, and values the people she has met and the art she has explored during trips to the Pacific Northwest of the USA, Europe, Japan and Latin America. |
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| Maria Odilia Romeu |
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Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer: Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and Beyond Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer discovered her love of creating personal wedding ceremonies during her own engagement over ten years ago when she and her fiancé, Fred, explored creative ways to honor both her Jewish and his Buddhist faiths and traditions. Read More | |
| Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer |
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Jim Haley : Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, New York City, New Jersey, Delaware (including Rehoboth and Dewey beaches). Also in Pennsylvania: Schuylkill County - to Lebanon and Lancaster Counties to outlying areas as far west as Pittsburgh and Erie, PAJim’s genuine kindness and authenticity, combined with his quick sense of humor, creates a warm feeling of welcome and acceptance that allows others to feel valued and safe in his presence. He deeply appreciates being invited into people’s lives to help create meaningful ceremonies to mark life’s significant milestones, infusing these occasions with joy and beauty. Read More |
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| Jim Haley |
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Tara Rubinstein : Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and BeyondTara has felt a lifelong calling to create ritual and ceremony. She believes that ceremony allows us to pause in the day-to-day rush of life and honor the special moments that are most important to us, our families and communities. Tara enjoys helping to create ritual that infuses meaning and connection into our lives. A couple falls in love, and makes their commitment sacred with ritual. A baby is born and is welcomed into family and community. A child transitions into a teenager, and ritual honors their unique spirit and the path ahead. A loved one dies, and ritual provides the space for shared grief and reflection. Tara’s approach in all these occasions is open, flexible, tender and inclusive.Read More | |
| Tara Rubinstein |
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Susan Harte: Metropolitan Philadelphia and All Surrounding Counties Including South JerseyFrom the time of her childhood in Rochester, New York, Sue has always loved celebrations. She takes great joy in marking life events both great and small with her tremendous gift for hospitality. Read More | |
| Susan Harte |
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Jim Rosengarten: Philadelphia Delaware Valley Region - On sabbatical March through May, 2013 Jim’s devotion to his family keeps him grounded and helps him to appreciate the opportunity to be with others as they prepare to celebrate life’s most significant moments. Born in Indiana, Jim moved to Newark, NJ, in the eighties to serve for two years as a Jesuit Volunteer. Read More | |
| Jim Rosengarten |
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Renee Ford ConwayRenee Ford-Conway has a warm, inviting, joyful and loving presence.She has a vibrant personality yet, at the same time, brings a calm sense of peace to all she does. Renee’s love of learning and experiencing life to the fullest led her to Journeys of the Heart. She believes that every event of importance can be marked by meaningful ceremony which speaks to the essence of participants and guests. Read More | |
| Renee Ford Conway |
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Laura Ford: Greater Philadelphia Area, Montgomery and Bucks CountiesLaura loves listening to stories, whether whispered by the wind and trees in the Wissahickon woods just outside her door or told by couples who engage her to plan a personalized wedding, new parents celebrating a baby blessing ceremony or a family planning a funeral or memorial service for a loved one. That gift of deep listening allows her to hear what’s most important to people in these most vulnerable of times—even when they may not even have words for it—and prepare a ceremony that’s meaningful to them, their families and friends. Her gentle and caring presence lends just the right touch of solemnity, intimacy, and humor to rituals that mark life’s great transitions and milestones Read More | |
| Laura Ford |
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Urbane Peachey: Lancaster, Harrisburg, York, Berks, Chester, Delaware and western Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. Urbane (pronounced "Urban")has been an Officiant with Journeys of the Heart for over ten years. He delights in the unique love story of each couple--whether the unexpected meeting in a classroom or the very intentional discovery on match.com! He intends to help design a ceremony that flows from the meaning a couple finds in their relationship. He adapts readily to a variety of expectations whether the ceremony is religious, spiritual or secular, informal or traditional. Read More |
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| Urbane Peachey |
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Kelly Fuddy: Lancaster County, Chester County, Harrisburg, York Kelly is so fascinated by how much the world has to offer that she sometimes wishes she could live several concurrent lives to follow every path that interests her in this short life. She is a Fighting Irish fan and graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where she received a BA in Anthropology and took a course in almost every other department. Read More | |
| Kelly Fuddy |
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Miki Young: Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and surrounding counties, New York City, New Jersey, and Delaware Miki brings and energy and lighthearted humor to everything she does....including weddings. Inspired by the Buddhist tradition of equanimity, there is very little that flaps this unflappable spirit. She is a caring and compassionate minister who really opens her heart to every couple at every wedding. And what she hears back reflects that. "This was the best wedding ceremony ever," is what guests and couples tell her again and again. Read More | |
| Miki Young |
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Linda Noonan: Philadelphia Delaware Valley Whether teaching Shakespeare to Zulu-speaking teenagers in Africa, doing any project with her young teen daughters involving glitter or creating the perfect wedding or blessing ceremony or memorial service, Linda approaches life with freshness, passion and respect. Read More | |
| Linda Noonan |
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Al Vernacchio: Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and BeyondAl has vast experience in public speaking as well as with ritual. Journeys of the Heart was fortunate to discover him in 2010 after being recommended to us from several unrelated sources. Immediately upon coming on board, the first couple to request Al as their wedding officiant was a former student who, upon finding his bio on our web site, could hardly believe his good fortune in discovering that one of his favorite teachers could serve as his wedding officiant. Read More | |
| Al Vernacchio |
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Wilson Kratz: Philadelphia Metropolitan Area including upper Bucks and Montgomery Counties, Lehigh and Northampton Counties of Pennsylvania; Hunterdon and Somerset Counties in New Jersey.Wilson admits to being an adventure junky who loves new and varied experiences, which may seem strange for a lad who was born and raised on a Mennonite dairy farm near Franconia, PA. After graduating from Albright College and teaching high school social studies for 3 years, Wilson and his bride, Anne Libbey, joined the Peace Corps and headed for India in 1966. Read More |
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| Wilson Kratz |
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Susanne Wilson: –The Poconos, Lehigh Valley, New Jersey (north, mid and south), New York City (all five boroughs) and surrounding suburbs. Susanne has a deep love of ritual and ceremony, from sharing coffee with her husband each morning to honoring and celebrating life’s major passages. She feels incredibly blessed with abundant opportunity to witness those passages as her work with Journeys of the Heart brings more than the usual amount one might see in a lifetime! Read More | |
| Susanne Wilson |
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Anita Bondi: Pocono Region, Lehigh Valley Anita loves love! Her favorite thing about meeting new couples is having a chance to hear their very personal love story. Her excitement has been known to inspire couples to look at their love in a new way. Her couples find her warmth, enthusiasm and lively spirit delightful. Working with her is easy, fun, and she always has tons of ideas to create very personal, meaningful ceremonies. On the actual day of the wedding, she makes sure that the guests feel included and engaged and that the couples feel present to the moment and relaxed. She has been with Journeys of the Heart for over 14 years.Read More | |
| Anita Bondi |
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Heidi Minich: Pocono Mountain Region and the Lehigh ValleyHeidi puts her whole heart into creating customized, meaningful ceremonies that truly reflect the people involved and what they desire to express. Her easygoing, compassionate nature lends itself to making the process, from the initial consultation to completion of the ceremony, a relaxed and fulfilling experience. Read More | |
| Heidi Minich |
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Jim O’Brien: Philadelphia, All Surrounding Counties and South Jersey from Princeton to Cape MayJim returned to Journeys of the Heart in 2013 after a brief sabbatical while he was wrapping up a teaching career of forty-six years in secondary education. He had previously worked for five years as an officiant and once again looks forward to being present to couples and families through life’s joyous and challenging events. He finds this transition a natural one because people are the center of Jim’s delight in teaching and ministry.Read More | |
| Jim O’Brien |
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Marguerite Sexton, Founder: Founder and Executive Director--Greater Philadelphia Region New clients’ first voice contact with Journeys of the Heart is likely to be with Marguerite (who also goes by Marge or Margie). She relishes good conversation and at the end of each day enjoys thinking back to each person she spoke with whether it be a personal or professional contact. Chats with her are likely to include at least a little lightness or laughter. Read More | |
| Marguerite Sexton Founder |
Call our toll-free or local number or use the contact form below to e-mail us directly.
Toll-Free
877-WE-MARRY
(877-936-2779)
Local
215-663-8980
journeys@journeysoftheheart.org
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