The Reverend Rebecca Mahr Cartus (FCM) is a clergy woman ordained through the Federation of Christian Ministries (2013). She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts from Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA (1977), a Master of Arts degree in Rhetoric and Communication from the University of Pittsburgh (1982), and a Master of Divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (2006). She also participated in a spiritual direction program at Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center (2011-12). And in 2018, Rev. Cartus completed basic mediation training course of the Association for Conflict Resolution of Family Mediators.
Rev. Cartus held church positions as a Director of Religious Education (Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA; The Coraopolis United Methodist Church, Coraopolis, PA; The Presbyterian Church of Coraopolis, Coraopolis, PA), as a Director of Youth Ministries (The Presbyterian Church, Sewickley, PA) and as a minister (The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Smithton, Smithton, PA).
Her community ministries include His Kids, an after-school children’s program; The Coraopolis Area Children’s Ministries, an inter-faith community children’s program; The Eighth Day Feast, a community dinner program and Drinks on the Deck, a neighborhood fellowship group.
A professionally certified teacher, Rev. Rebecca Mahr Cartus taught both English and Speech in the following public schools: Norwich High School, Norwich, NY, Northgate Junior-Senior High School, Pittsburgh, PA and Hampton Middle School and High School, Allison Park, PA. She has worked as an English language tutor for Global Language Training, a language service located in Flint, Michigan.
Rev. Cartus’ volunteer service covers a broad range of organizations: The Presbyterian Church of Coraopolis (Elder and Mission Committee Chairperson), The Edgeworth Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association (President), The Quaker Valley Middle School Home and School Association (Vice President) and The Woodland Pool, Inc. (President).
At present she serves on the board of directors of the Austrian American Cultural Society – Pittsburgh Chapter and the Association of Pittsburgh Priests and on the advisory board of The Interfaith Peace Project, Pittsburg, CA.
Rev. Becky lives with her husband, John, owner of a language translation service called Equality Translation Services in a usually empty nest. They boast two daughters – Abigail, a Ph.D. student of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh and Rachel, a Doctor of Pharmacy at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland – and one son-in-law, Alec.