Raised as a Roman Catholic in parochial school for ten years, Fred had a deep connection with God/Spirit from a very early age. His Catholic upbringing established a solid spiritual base from which he later branched out into a more universal acceptance of many spiritual paths that were all to be honored. As so many others he went onto seeking a resonance with Spirit and the world around him. Finding Religious Science in 1986 the resonance was found. He and his wife Rev. Pattie Mercado were married that same year and have called the Capistrano Valley Church home since then. Raising their two children Amanda, and Alexander in the church their sense of church family is strong.
Outside of church Fred has participated as a volunteer in a number of organizations over the years participating on various boards such as the Orange County Hunger Project, Orange County Task Force, and The Free Dental Clinic Project.
In the Church, Fred has been a longtime volunteer serving on the board as treasurer from 1998 thru 2006. He has recently rejoined the board in November of 2012, serving now as President.