Stories from the Diocese

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.

Bishop Stevenson Ordains Two New Priests

On February 1, 2025, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia, hosted the ordination of the Rev. Rebecca Casey and the Rev. Caroline Mitchell to the Sacred Order of Priests in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. Bishop Mark Stevenson presided over the service, welcoming two women who had each followed a unique path to the priesthood.

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