Stories from the Diocese

Register Now for 2026 Shrine Mont Summer Camps

Take the first step toward a fun and formative experience at Shrine Mont Camps in 2026! Check out the 2026 calendar and be ready to sign up on November 1 when registration opens. An “Early Bird” $30 discount is given to registrations made before January 31, 2026.

Portraits of a Young Bishop Meade and Wife (Re)discovered

The Rt. Rev. William Meade (1789-1862) lived long before the age of selfies and photography. No one knew what the third Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia looked like as a young man until his large oil portrait, and his wife Thomasia’s, showed up in the backseat of a Subaru in Richmond this year.

“Ferociously Hopeful”: 3 Female Priests Ordained

Three new priests — Kara Laughlin, Kris Rose, and Joy Warburton— became ordained Sept. 20 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in McLean. Three times during the service, The Rt. Rev. Mark A. Bourlakas, Assistant Bishop of Virginia, intoned, “Fill her with grace and power...

Shrine Mont Celebrates Centennial in Spectacular Sunset Light

As the sun set on Shrine Mont’s centennial celebration, the old stone Shrine of the Transfiguration glowed so intensely that some of the 435 onlookers felt like they were watching a transfiguration in real time. “It was more than fortuitous that that those who...

Three New Transitional Deacons Ordained

Jackson Davey, Bartolo Natoli, and Theodore Renaud were ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons on Aug. 2 at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church. The Right Rev. Gayle E. Harris, Assistant Bishop of Virginia, presided over the ordination.

In the News

Claude Moore Provides Boost to Free Loudoun STEAM Camp

The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation on Tuesday ramped up its support for a nine-week STEAM summer camp offered offer free of charge through St. Gabriel’s Church’s Educando con Amor—Educating with Love program. Read the Full Story

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...