Frequently Asked Questions

Questions About One Spirit

  • We are so excited that you are considering joining our One Spirit Community!

    If you are interested in our Seminary or Interspiritual Companioning Program, our Admissions Coordinator, Rev. Stephanie Heilker would be happy to speak with you and answer any questions you may have. You can email Stephanie at admissions@1spirit.org.

    For questions about the Art of Dying Thanatology Program, please contact Laura King at artofdying@1spirit.org.

    For all Workshops and Community Events, please email Damia December at help@1spirit.org.

  • Currently, our Seminary program has in-person intensives at the end of each year.

    Our Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling program begins with an in-person retreat.

    All other One Spirit workshops, community events, and programs are held live via videoconference on Zoom allowing people from around the world to join our classes!

  • We are so sorry for the inconvenience! Please email help@1spirit.org, and we will send you renewal information right away.

    Please confirm your mailing address and current photo for clergy card renewals.

  • Please search your spam, updates, promotions, and archive folder for an email from news@1spirit.org. Please add news@1spirit.org to your contact list. Also, try resubscribing at https://www.1spirit.org

    If you still do not receive your email, please contact help@1spirit.org.

  • Thank you so much for your generous support of our mission! You can donate online at https://www.1spirit.org/about/donate or via mail.

    Please send mailed payments to One Spirit Learning Alliance, 2218 Broadway, Suite 247, New York, NY 10024.

Questions About Registration

  • If you see an error message when registering for a workshop or community event, please take a screenshot and email it to help@spirit.org.

    If you attempted to register, but your payment did not go through, please request an invoice to complete your registration by emailing help@1spirit.org.

  • Please check your spam, updates, and promotions folder for your confirmation email, or search for an email from 1spirit.org. If you still cannot find your confirmation email, please contact help@1spirit.org.

  • All of your One Spirit courses should be listed under your “Invited Boards'' Tab on Claned. Please refresh your page if you registered for your course while logged in to Claned. If you still do not see your course, please email help@1spirit.org.

  • After selecting your workshop and clicking the registration button, please select the following options:

    1) “Public” or "Graduate” and,
    2) "YES - I already have 1 or more prepaid credits on my account."

    If you are a current Seminary or ISCC student, please select “Student”.

Questions About One Spirit Seminary

For full seminary program details, see One Spirit Seminary.

  • Classes for the next cohort begin Saturday, September 7th, 2024. One Spirit Interfaith Seminary's first year class generally meets the first full or second weekend of the month. You can find the first year's class dates here: First Year Class Dates

    Second year classes generally meet the third/fourth weekend of the month.

    Classes meet online from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm ET. each day with an hour and a half lunch break. In addition, there is a mandatory 4-day, 3-night in-person residential intensive retreat in May or June depending on which year of the program you are in.

  • All of our classes are held through Zoom and recordings are made available if you miss a class. In addition to the Zoom learning environment, we hold required in-person residential intensives at the end of each year at a retreat center just outside of New York City.

  • One Spirit has been offering live streaming classes since before Zoom even existed. Over ten years and countless class hours, our teams have cultivated practices and techniques to keep the technology in the background so our experiential learning is front and center. Our dedicated media teams run all the technological components of the classes so our presenters, staff, and students can focus on the deep work offered and engage with each other in ritual, ceremony, and spiritual practice. Traditionally more than half of our student body engaged as Zoom learners from around the world and they are an integral and contributing part of the classes. Engaging in real time allows you to be intimately involved in each class by speaking your questions into the room, participating in dyads/triads with your fellow students, joining large group discussions with the entire class, participating in ceremonies and rituals, and interacting with the presenters and teachers.

  • We see the squares of videos on Zoom not as boxes or walls but as windows, allowing us to meet our neighbors from around the world in thoughtful and intimate ways. We've learned that the presence felt in physical space and the inner work needed to create that space is also possible on Zoom. Zoom learning is inherently a different experience than in-person study. It requires a greater degree of independence and self-initiative. Nevertheless, our Zoom learning students find the training to be a rich and life-enhancing experience, and develop a strong sense of spiritual community with their classmates and colleagues over the course of the two-year training.

    Our program expands and broadens your tools in being of service to others and this technology is incorporated as another tool, one of connection and possibility. Pre-pandemic, most would have never (or could have never) imagined how connected and interactive being a student online in a transformative program could be. Our students can and do. So instead of looking at how to duplicate what happens in the room, we've asked ourselves, what does this tool make available to us? What is possible with this technology? We have designed our offerings with the answers to those questions in mind.

  • One Spirit Interfaith Seminary is designed as a professional training program that can be successfully completed while maintaining a full-time job. However, in order to thrive in this training, a clear commitment of time and intention is required. We find that those who get the full benefit of the training are those who have created space in their life to be fully engaged and participate at all levels in the program including the all important part of personal work towards transformation.

  • This question often depends on the individual and how long it has been since they were in a learning environment. Generally, in a month, you have 16 hours of seminary class time, 6-10 hours of homework (reading/writing), two hours of study group, plus other explorations which can add up to 35-45 hours per month.

    There is also an annual requirement of 15 hours of community service, and a minimum of three credits of elective classes.

    You'll also engage each month with a spiritual practice inspired or from the tradition being studied. Due to the great variety of practices and the student's personal level of engagement, the time commitment of these practices varies greatly.

    Some students report that they need the first couple of months of the program to feel settled into the rhythm of classwork and homework. Communication with your assigned dean is essential and asking for help when needed is encouraged.

    Please click here to see an example of a month's homework exploration.

  • Real-time class participation is critical to create a vibrant group learning community and to grow the skills and competencies required for graduation although some of our overseas students do participate mostly by recordings. These recordings are made available to all students as a method of learning when live participation is not possible (and for archival purposes). If you cannot be on Zoom live, we suggest that to watch the recordings you set up “classroom time” in a quiet, relaxing atmosphere that will be most conducive to learning. Listening in the car or while exercising is not the best way to be in the class experience.

  • We take student privacy very seriously, and we have adopted our policies after deep discernment and inquiry with our students and graduates, in order that everyone can feel that One Spirit classrooms are safe, brave spaces.

    Streaming-only content provides the necessary security to make sure that course recordings are seen only by the registered students and cannot be shared outside of One Spirit's learning management systems, now or in the future. The recorded image has an enormous ability to break student confidentiality: compared to an audio recording where a student is identified only by voice and first name, everyone's likeness and exact identity are captured on video.

  • Attendance at the year-end intensives is mandatory for all students. This four-day intensive retreat takes place at a conference center about one hour north of New York City and all costs (except transportation) are included in the tuition levels.

  • All students are assigned a Dean who provides feedback on written assignments and guidance around the preparation for ministry and spiritual leadership. Your Dean is your shepherd through the program. All students may also request a mentor, a spiritual companion/buddy who has recently completed their One Spirit seminary training and has volunteered to provide friendly guidance to you by sharing experiences and helping you formulate your goals for seminary. Study group members also provide peer support.

  • In addition to the types of support listed above, each seminary class has a private class website with an online discussion forum allowing all students easy contact with one another. The class website is also the place where students come together to access the homework assignments, handouts, and to build community. Your study group is your personal small group within the larger community. Participation is required and can be in-person (in those instances where there are several students in geographical proximity to each other), or by conference call, or an online platform such as Zoom. Study groups can be as small as 3 people or as large as 8-10 and meet at least once a month.

  • One Spirit programs have a variety of reading and writing assignments in which students are expected to read and write at a post high school educational level.

  • There is no traditional grading system; however, required monthly written homework assignments are read and evaluated with written feedback given by your Dean. A student’s progress is tracked to assure all program requirements are met and that they are in "good standing" along with demonstrating a satisfactory level of the skills and knowledge described in the student handbook for the goals of training and graduation guidelines.

  • In order to successfully complete this program and to be a student in good standing you must: stay current on your homework by completing all assignments, perform a minimum of 15 hours of community service per year, attend both year-end retreats, complete all financial agreements, fulfill requirement of a minimum of three elective credits each year, and demonstrate an understanding of all curriculum subjects and an understanding of the meaning and principles of an Interfaith/Interspiritual approach to spiritual life.

  • Ordination as a One Spirit Interfaith minister is recognized nationwide and internationally. In those U.S. locations where registration with the city, state, or county is necessary in order to perform wedding ceremonies, ordination documentation from One Spirit allows our graduates to register and legally officiate.

  • No. We offer certificates of completion for professional training upon graduation. By choosing not to be accredited we retain the flexibility to create an experiential and transformative experience that offers the widest array of learning modalities. We are a professional training program (similar, for example, to a specialized training institute in psychotherapy) rather than an academic institution. One Spirit Learning Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational and spiritual organization established to support individual and organizational evolution. Upon successful completion of all program requirements, graduates are ordained as Interfaith/Interspiritual ministers, legally recognized as ordained clergy.

  • In order to successfully participate in this program you will need: a personal (not shared) email address, a computer with high speed internet access (to download the handouts, homework and view video recordings and to use Zoom), and Microsoft Word, Google Docs or equivalent software. All homework assignments are submitted online through the class portal ClanEd. For specific computer or device system requirements please go here: System Requirements. For the fullest experience as a companion learner, you will also need a webcam and headset with microphone.

    In general, you should have a working knowledge of using computers to:

    • Author documents in a word processor.

    • Browse and search for files on your computer or tablet.

    • Convert or Save documents to PDF.

    • Download and install apps on your computer or tablet.

    • Set, remember and use passwords and reset them if necessary.

    • Keep your operating system, browser and other software up to date.

    • Search the Internet for solutions when you need to learn how to do something.

    • Get technical support in your local community if something doesn't work.

  • Class size varies, with approximately 50-80 students enrolled in each year.

  • During each year of study, One Spirit offers a variety of elective classes (listed as Workshops on the website - Live or Streaming) that allow students to self-direct a portion of their education and focus on areas that are of interest or on subjects that support their call to serve. Electives supplement the core curriculum and allow for deeper exploration. All students are required to take a minimum of three elective credits in each year of study with eight hours of class time equaling one credit. These electives are generally held for either one weekend day, a full weekend, or two hours over multiple weekday evenings. The electives are included in your tuition. Our elective classes are also open to the public. All are offered via Zoom video conference and by video recording.

  • Co-Directors Rev. Leslie Reambeault Barnes-Bowens and Rev. Melissa Stewart facilitate the training experience throughout the two-year program along with the seminary deans. Expert guest lecturers present many of the topics in class, including each of the religions we study. Rev. Diane Berke, Founder and Spiritual Director of One Spirit, oversees all our programs.

  • Bear in mind, your financial status has no bearing on your acceptance into Seminary. Beginning in late Fall of 2021, One Spirit took the very bold step in creating the Fair Share Tuition System. This honor-based plan transparently shares the cost of educating a student in our program and gives people the opportunity to pay what they can afford. No forms, applications, or questions asked. Upon acceptance, students will be asked to self-assess a level of tuition (which includes program tuition, dean supervision, 4-credits to use for elective workshops, and year-end residential intensive programming & room and board) that has meaningful value to them based on all that is included and choose the tuition option which best reflects that. Your Tuition Payment Agreement (sent with your registration materials after you are accepted into our program) will give you in-depth information about this and also offer you different payment plans. Please fill in the form below to receive an info graphic with details: Paying Your Tuition (Not included in tuition are books and material costs which average $100-150 total and transportation costs, if applicable.)

  • One Spirit ministers are uniquely qualified to bridge the sacred and the secular, and to celebrate both diversity and unity, in service to anyone in need, no matter their worldview or tradition of origin. Our graduates’ path of service is just as varied and diverse as they are, creating a personal, local, and global impact. Our ministries may take different forms, ranging from traditional congregational leadership to chaplaincy, to business leadership and parenting. Other graduates find their service comes in the forms of hospice work, starting new worship communities, officiating weddings and other life-cycle ceremonies, or supporting efforts towards world peace.

  • A wide variety of volunteer opportunities will fulfill your community service requirement. If you are already involved in a form of unpaid community service, you are welcome to count this as your service requirement. If you are a professional counselor, therapist, or healer, and do some sessions at no charge for those unable to afford your fee, you can count that towards your community service requirement. However, we would encourage you to use this requirement as an opportunity to explore new possibilities for giving service – opportunities that may take you out of your comfort zone. Students can use internet resources, or contact local hospitals, hospices, shelters, soup kitchens, etc., in order to find local opportunities twww.redcross.orgo volunteer. Use your favorite search engine to locate possibilities (for example, in the US, www.indeed.com; www.volunteermatch.org; www.createthegood.org or directly to an agency like www.redcross.org) You will be Dean available for discussions about what might work for you.

Questions About Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling (ISCC)

For full program details, see Interspiritual Companioning & Counseling.

  • The ISCC program core curriculum classes meet roughly every other Saturday from 11 AM - 5 PM ET. There are three full weekend classes, at the start, in the middle, and at the end of the program. You can find the class dates for the upcoming cohort here: ISCC Class Dates

    In addition, each student is required to take (only) one Concentration at the end of the 9.5-month core curriculum. The dates are listed on the same page as above.

  • All ISCC classes are offered via Zoom video conference in real-time. Classes are recorded in the rare case that a student needs to miss a class.

  • No in-person attendance is required for the ISCC program at this time. However, students are expected to attend on camera via Zoom.

  • One Spirit has been offering live-streaming classes since before Zoom even existed. Over ten years and countless class hours, our teams have cultivated practices and techniques to keep the technology in the background, so our experiential learning is front and center. Our dedicated media team runs all the technological components of the classes so our presenters, staff, and students can focus on the deep work offered and engage with each other. Engaging in real-time allows you to be intimately involved in each class and participate in breakout groups with your fellow students and practicum sessions to gain real experience. You'll also have large group discussions with the entire class and interact with the co-facilitators.

  • We see the squares of videos on Zoom not as boxes or walls but as windows, allowing us to meet our neighbors from around the world in thoughtful and intimate ways. We've learned that the presence felt in physical space and the inner work needed to create that space is also possible on Zoom. Spiritual companionship regularly occurs over Zoom, and extends possibilities for companionship internationally. Our students find the training to be a rich and a life-enhancing experience. They develop a strong sense of spiritual community with their classmates and colleagues over the course of the program.

  • The ISCC program is designed as a professional training program that can be successfully completed while maintaining a full-time job. However, to thrive in this program, a clear commitment of time and intention is required. We find that those who get the full benefit of the training are those who have created space in their life to be fully engaged and participate at all levels.

  • The time commitment of the 9.5-month Core Curriculum can vary significantly from student to student, depending on their level of engagement with the materials. The monthly average amount of time commitment is 35-45 hours. This includes 12 hours per month class time, eLearning modules with an average of 6-10 hours per month, study group which meets once or twice a month for at least one hour, monthly supervision sessions, pro-bono companioning, and receiving personal interspiritual companioning. A minimum of three credits of elective classes are also required. At the end of the core curriculum, students must also participate in a Concentration described below.

  • We engage in in-class practicum sessions with your fellow students. These sessions are conducted in small groups with an experienced Supervisor. While the practical experience of offering companioning is vital to growing the skills needed, watching these sessions also offers great benefit for the students to witness different styles and approaches to companioning. These are safe spaces to explore the themes learned from the eLearning modules and try out the skills presented.

  • A Concentration Track allows for deeper development of Interspiritual Companioning/Counseling skills in a chosen area. They are offered at the completion of the 9.5-month Core Curriculum. Each concentration track consists of six live class sessions and corresponding eLearning modules. Students are required to choose (only) one concentration.

  • Yes, though students are discouraged from missing class, and are disallowed from missing class more than twice.

  • All students are assigned a Supervisor who provides support and feedback throughout the program. Supervisors also provide guidance around the preparation for interspiritual companioning and supervision for your pro-bono companioning sessions. Study group members provide peer support as well.

    You are also required to receive private personal spiritual companioning with an approved provider from our curated list. This is not only beneficial for the experience of personally being companioned, but it is another area of support for your explorations in the ISCC program.

  • Your study group is your small group within the larger community. Participation is required and can be in-person (in those instances where there are several students in geographical proximity to each other), by conference call, or on an online platform such as Zoom or Skype. It's a place to further delve into the topics being explored and try out techniques and tools being developed during the course of the program.

  • In addition to the types of support listed previously, each ISCC cohort has a private, interactive class website. The class website is also the place where students come together to access the eLearning modules and handouts, and to build community with one another.

  • As an opportunity to have practical, real experience and develop your skills as an Interspiritual Companion/Counselor, students work with two volunteers as companions to receive interspiritual companioning/counseling. The volunteers are paired with the students by our Companioning Coordinators. Between your two pro bono companions, you'll have a minimum of 10 sessions during the 9.5-month core curriculum.

    You will also have private supervision with your Supervisor concerning these pro-bono sessions once they begin. The schedule and frequency for these are worked out between the student and the Supervisor and these sessions are included in the program tuition.

  • Students are required to participate in receiving private interspiritual companioning and counseling with someone from our approved list of practitioners. These professionals have agreed to offer their services on a sliding scale to our students. We encourage students to consult with more than one to find someone they are comfortable working with and whose fees are affordable for them. You'll need to have a minimum of eight sessions during the 9.5 months of the core curriculum.

  • If you're already working with a spiritual director, the co-facilitators will ask to meet them, if they don't already know them. We do that to ensure they align with and understand the program and can support you as needed during the program.

  • No. We offer certificates of completion upon graduation. We are a professional training program rather than an academic institution.

  • In order to successfully participate in this program you will need: a personal (not shared) email address, a computer with high speed internet access (to download the handouts, homework and view video recordings and to use Zoom), and Microsoft Word, Google Docs or equivalent software. All homework assignments are submitted online through the class portal Wisdom Web. For specific computer or device system requirements please go here: System Requirements. For the fullest experience as a companion learner, you will also need a webcam and headset with microphone.

    In general, you should have a working knowledge of using computers to:

    • Author documents in a word processor.

    • Browse and search for files on your computer or tablet.

    • Convert or Save documents to PDF.

    • Download and install apps on your computer or tablet.

    • Set, remember and use passwords and reset them if necessary.

    • Keep your operating system, browser and other software up to date.

    • Search the Internet for solutions when you need to learn how to do something.

    • Get technical support in your local community if something doesn't work.

  • Class size varies, with approximately 40-55 students enrolled each year.

  • During each year of study, One Spirit offers a variety of elective classes (listed as Workshops on the website - Live or Streaming) that allow students to self-direct a portion of their education and focus on areas that are of interest or on subjects that support their call to serve. Electives supplement the core curriculum and allow for deeper exploration. All students are required to take a minimum of three elective credits in each year of study with eight hour of class time equaling one credit. These electives are generally held for either one weekend day, a full weekend, or two hours over multiple weekday evenings. The electives are included in your tuition. Our elective classes are also open to the public. All are offered via Zoom video conference and video recording.

  • ISCC is co-facilitated by Rev. Dr. Khadijah Matin, Rev. Dr. Ed O'Malley, and Rev. Nathan Brisby along with the ISCC supervisors. The eLearning modules offer a wide and diverse range of voices speaking on the many topics explored in the curriculum.

  • Bear in mind, that your financial status has no bearing on your acceptance into the ISCC program. Beginning in the late Fall of 2021, One Spirit took the very bold step of creating the Fair Share Tuition System. This honor-based plan transparently shares the cost of educating a student in our program and gives people the opportunity to pay what they can afford. No forms, applications, or questions are asked. Upon acceptance, students will be asked to self-assess a level of tuition (which includes program tuition, supervision, 4-credits to use for elective workshops, and one required concentration track) that has meaningful value to them based on all that is included and choose the tuition option which best reflects that. Your Tuition Payment Agreement (sent with your registration materials after you are accepted into our program) will give you in-depth information about this and also offer you different payment plans. Not included in tuition are personal interspiritual companioning sessions, fees are paid directly to the provider.

Questions About Workshops

For more workshops information, see Events.

  • The videoconference links for all One Spirit workshops are posted on their Claned Course Board. You can find the zoom link under the “Content” Tab. Open the “Videoconference Link and Help Desk” section and click the Zoom icon.

    You DO NOT need a password when accessing the zoom link through Claned.

  • If Zoom does not automatically open after clicking the link, please try these troubleshooting tips:

    1) Click the “Launch” button on the screen.
    2) Refresh your page.
    3) Restart your web browser.
    4) Right-click on the Videoconference Link and select “Open Link in New Tab”.
    5) Check your class reminder email for an emergency videoconference link at the bottom.
    6) If none of the above work, or you cannot find the link in your email, don't hesitate to contact help@1spirit.org.

  • Yes, all One Spirit class sessions are recorded and posted to the Workshop Course board on Claned within 48 hours of the live class. You can find the recording under the “Content Tab”.

  • All workshop recordings and related course materials will be accessible via their Course Board on Claned until the end of the academic year (September 1st).

    Please take all notes and download all materials before this date.
    Courses can NOT be reopened after they are closed.

    All long-form programs (Seminary, ISCC, Art Of Dying) have a one-year extension to access the content after the final class.

  • No, video recordings are only available to watch directly on the Claned website to maintain the privacy of the in-class experience. Due to privacy concerns, we no longer offer audiobooks for any classes.

  • The #1 troubleshooting tip for all things not working is to Refresh Your Page. This is the circular arrow in the top left-hand corner of your web browser next to the web address bar.

    If refreshing does not solve the problem, please refer to this FAQ page and email help@1spirit.org if the problem persists.

  • Claned is One Spirit’s secure learning management platform, where all of our course meetings, information, and discussions are held.

  • No. Your Claned account is automatically created when you register for a One Spirit workshop or program. Your email and password will be sent to you in your registration confirmation email.

  • No. You might not be on the right One Spirit website. Please make sure you are at 1spirit.claned.com (NOT claned.com). If you are in the right place and are still being prompted to create an account, you may have entered your email address incorrectly. Please check that your email matches the one you used to register for your classes at One Spirit.

    Please DO NOT create a new account. Email help@1spirit.org for support.

  • You can click the “Student Login” button in the upper right-hand corner of the One Spirit website or go to 1spirit.claned.com. You will be asked to verify your email the first time you log in.

    If you don’t remember your Claned password, please click “Forgot Password.


    If you don’t remember your Claned email, please email help@1spirit.org.

  • If you cannot find your Claned verification email, try these steps:

    1) Check your email provider’s spam, promotions, forums, and updates folders.
    2) Search for no-reply@claned.com in your email browser search bar.
    3) Refresh your web browser pages.
    4) Request the verification link again.

    If you still do not receive your verification link, please email help@1spirit.org.

  • This means that an item has been added to your Course Board but is not yet available to students. When the course instructor makes the item available, you can see and access it on your Course Board page.

  • Claned offers the ability to send messages and make changes instantaneously. Your classmates will see your message even if you do not. The delay in you seeing your own message is due to your web browser’s cache settings. To see your own message faster, please refresh your page.

  • Printing directly from the web browser may create formatting errors. Please download the document from Claned before trying to print it.

  • We have created a free tutorial course with video demos showing how to navigate all aspects of Claned. You will see the “Tutorials for Classes at One Spirit” Course Board under your “Invited Boards” tab in Claned.

    If you need additional help, you can schedule a 1:1 support session here: OSLA Help & Support Session

Questions bout Technical Support and Claned

I Have Another Question

One Spirit Support Staff is available to you five days a week (Mon.-Fri.) from 10 AM to 6 PM ET via email to help@1spirit.org.

If you are seeking support outside of these hours, please note that it may take a little longer for our support team to get back to you, but all emails are answered as soon as possible.