Stories from the Diocese

160 Years of Black History at St. Philip’s Richmond

Years before Kenneth S. Anderson moved to Richmond in 2013 for college, he heard glowing stories of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church and his family roots there. Founded by enslaved people and free people of color in 1861, St. Philip's is the oldest Episcopal church...

St. Luke’s Has Gone Green

On April 19, Bishop Bud Shand joined the congregation at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia and gave his blessing for the church’s new solar panel project. St. Luke’s rector, the Rev. Nick Hull, welcomed the assembled parishioners from the solar...

Two Seminarians Receive Graduation Awards from Virginia Theological Seminary

The Rev. Joy Y. Warburton received the Woodward Award for the Reading of Scripture and Liturgy. This award is given in memory of the Rt. Rev. Thomas Underwood Dudley (VTS 1867), by his granddaughter Katherine Woodward to a graduating student who “has demonstrated excellence in the public reading and interpretation of the Scriptures and the Liturgy.”

Clergy Dig Deep into Joyful Resistance

Almost 150 Diocese of Virginia clergy got away in late April to pour themselves into sensory learning about joyful resistance and belonging—and do some dancing too. The annual clergy retreat was held at Shrine Mont, the bucolic diocesan conference center that just...

Meet Our Four Freshly Ordained Vocational Deacons

Cabell Jones, Florian Jones-Stamm, Judi Thomas, and Stephanie Shareck Werner were ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons by The Rt. Reverend E. Mark Stevenson, Bishop of Virginia. The service took place at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Goochland.

Solving Your Parish’s Sticky Issues: Try Congregational Vitality

For years, parishioners at Church of Our Saviour in Montpelier tried to come up with a mission statement. Nothing worked—until a recent vestry retreat, when they paid close attention to what they were passionate about, in a conversation guided by The Rev. Shirley Smith Graham, the Diocese of Virginia’s minister for congregational vitality.

Bishop Harris Ordains Three New Deacons at St. George’s, Arlington

On March 1, 2025, at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia, The Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris ordained Kara Laughlin, Kris Rose, and Joy Warburton to the Sacred Order of Deacons. Bishop Harris presided over the service, and the sermon was given by the Rev. Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams.

In the News

Two New Programs Expand Faith-Science Engagement

Virginia Seminary’s project is a curriculum called Being With Science, which will help congregations explore scientific issues behind contemporary ethical questions. The Rev. Dr. Sarah Colvin, a priest and pathologist, is designing the program, which is supported by a...

Old-Growth Forest Network Welcomes Virginia Parish

Stacey Remick knew there was something special about the five-acre forest surrounding St. Peter’s in the Woods Episcopal Church in Fairfax Station, Virginia. She never dreamed that the church property would one day be inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network, the...

Parishes Say ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’

America’s churches have what it takes to put a dent in the nation’s housing crisis. They have land and underutilized space, often located in high-density areas where affordable homes are desperately needed. Now congregations are receiving a groundswell of support to...

Remembering Herndon’s History: The Closet Thrift Shop Turns 50

The year 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of The Closet of the Greater Herndon Area. The Closet has occupied many spaces in Herndon over the course of decades. For these many years they have served our community in a devoted manner. Read the Full Story