Activities of the Universal Worship
"The work of the Universal Worship is to spread the unity of religion. It is not a mission to promote a particular creed or any church or religion; it is a work to unite the followers of different religions and faith in wisdom, so that without having to give up their own religion they may strengthen their own faith and focus the true light upon it. In this way a greater trust, a greater confidence will be established in mankind."
Inayat Khan
The Universal Worship service gives an opportunity to those belonging to different religions, or no religion, to worship together. All are welcome. The purpose of the service is to open our hearts toward God’s beauty, and illuminate our souls with Divine Light, and to recognize the One Being from which all religions have come.
The Universal Worship wedding ceremony recognizes and celebrates the spiritual dimension of marriage, which is common to all religions. The Universal Worship wedding ceremony creates a sacred connection between the bride and groom, honoring their highest ideals as a couple and hopes for their life together. Because the backgrounds and needs of each couple is unique, the cherag works closely with them to design the wedding ceremony that meets their spiritual and temporal needs. Cherags ordained in the Universal Worship are allowed to perform legal wedding ceremonies in all 50 states. Requirements to officiate marriages may vary in other locales. Cherags are happy to marry all loving couples regardless of their religion(s) or sexual orientation.
The Baptism of Light opens a stream of blessing from the Spiritual Hierarchy to guide and protect babies throughout their life. The ritual also establishes the baby’s spiritual guardian.
Home Blessings and Purifications consciously invite the Divine Presence into your home.
A Home Blessing is a wonderful way to start a residence in a new place and to establish a beneficial spiritual atmosphere.
Home Purifications revitalize and clear unwanted impressions or atmosphere.
The Children’s Universal Worship is an interactive service for young hearts and minds of all ages.
This magical service fosters bright smiles as children come together with stories, dance, songs, music, and candlelight which is magical for everyone.
Each service is dedicated to a theme that honors one of the religious or spiritual traditions of the world. There are celebrations of the Messengers of God, the Masters, Saints, and Prophets, as well as honoring significant festivals from indigenous people and ancient cultures. Through the joyful experiential service, children learn tolerance for others, God can be honored in many ways and that love is universal.
The Universal Worship funeral and memorial services bid farewell to the soul who has passed, and intentionally opens the departed soul’s path to the next level of existence. Family and friends are helped to mourn in a way that does not impede the departed soul’s journey.
Other services (such as Coming of Age and Clearing of Unwelcome Impressions) may be performed on request. In addition, some Cherags are able to perform religion-specific ceremonies, such as Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.
What is a Cherag?
The Universal Worship is conducted by an ordained minister, who is called in our tradition a Cherag.
The Cherag acts in a similar capacity as ministers in other religious traditions, i.e., holds religious services, performs marriages, officiates at funerals, gives spiritual assistance to those in need, performs charitable and social service work, holds programs of spiritual education and training, provides spiritual direction and guidance and upholds the principles and ideals of the Universal Worship. The word Cherag means lamp.
In the Service, the Cherag invokes the messengers of truth, known and unknown, who have appeared in all times and in all places. The Cherag’s aim is to hold the consciousness of oneness in the perfection of love and awaken others to that potentiality in their own heart. The Cherag sees that all teachers of humanity have embodied the divine spirit of guidance toward Unity.
Cherag training attunes the candidate to the continuum of spiritual evolution, to the universality of the message of all prophets and a develops a deep understanding of the world’s major religions. Personal spiritual practice plays an important role in the curriculum. Students are required to do the inner work of self examination and cultivation of one’s personality in areas of sensitivity, confidence and creating capacity to serve. Depending on the program of study chosen (guided home study or in-person), the training usually takes between one to three years.
Cherags are required to follow a code of ethics.
Interested in Becoming a Cherag?
