As the Rev. Deacon David Curtis steps down from the role of Archdeacon to pursue a new call, we reflect on his pioneering ministry.

On March 16, Bishop Harris ordained three new deacons at St. Paul’s Alexandria. God willing, these deacons will become priests in the summer of 2024.

The Rt. Rev’d E. Mark Stevenson says Frederico Garza will collaborate with Archdeacon Holly Hanback to shepherd and grow the number of deacons in The Diocese of Virginia.

In May, the Diocese of Virginia received a wildfire relief grant from Episcopal Relief & Development after over one hundred wildfires broke out in Shenandoah County, Page County, Shenandoah National Park and Valley, and Fort Valley earlier this year.

Diocese of Virginia clergy gathered last month at Shrine Mont, the diocesan conference center known for relaxing vistas, breathtaking rock formations and a hikers paradise called the Stairway to Heaven. But they also grappled with how to deal with the real-world challenge of preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus in a politicized, racialized, and brutalized world.

When the Very Rev. Scott D. Parnell arrived at Ware Episcopal Church, Sunday attendance averaged about 40 people. So Parnell and parish leaders began thinking about how Ware, established in 1652, could once again be the vital part of the Gloucester community it had been in years past.

Despite a devastating December 2023 fire that destroyed its 19th-century building, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Oak Grove, Virginia, recently marked its 175th anniversary with a three-day celebration. The Very Rev. Rodney E. Gordon, rector of St. Peter’s, said he decided the events had to be held at St. Peter’s despite the fire that destroyed the church and damaged other facilities.

In June, lay and clergy deputies reported shared their reflections as well as images from the General Convention happening in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Diocese of Virginia has partnered with Caffeinated Church to offer discounted memberships to its churches. Caffeinated Church is designed by church communicators for church communicators as a place to go for resources, idea-sharing, collaboration, and training.

On Sunday, August 11, 2024, Canon Heidi Kim worshipped at both Historic Christ Church in Weems and Grace Church in Kilmarnock. The Rev. Glenn invited Canon Kim to witness the thriving yard sale ministry at Grace Church, a centerpiece of their outreach efforts.

When Greg Lowden traveled to Guatemala in 2011, he expected to be there for a year studying child sexual abuse in marginalized communities. But as he sat before his computer in Guatemala City crunching numbers, he was drawn to know more about the children in his study.

The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia received a $1,248,768 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Pathways to Prayer and Practice Initiative. The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative, a national initiative designed to help Christian congregations more fully and intentionally engage children in intergenerational corporate worship and prayer practices.

On September 28, Bishop E. Mark Stevenson ordained Jon Scarffe and Redmond Self to the Sacred Order of Priests at St. Anne’s, Reston. Two days later, Bishop Stevenson traveled to St. Joseph’s in Durham, North Carolina, to ordain Lachlan Hassman to the Priesthood.

The growth of Hispanic ministry in the Diocese of Virginia has been a remarkable journey, deeply tied to broader social and demographic shifts, particularly in Northern Virginia. Beginning as a small outreach effort at St. George’s, Arlington, in the 1970s, it expanded rapidly in response to increasing immigration from Latin America.

“The theme “LOVE JESUS. EMBODY JUSTICE. BE DISCIPLES” defined, shaped, and animated The 230th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia held Nov. 7-9, 2024, at the Convention Center in Fredericksburg.

In 2014, the Outreach Committee at Christ Church, Winchester, saw that children in their community were experiencing food scarcity. They began a program called Panda Pantry, which provided backpacks with food for elementary students to take home on weekends. It began with about 30 bags of food packed each week and delivered to a local elementary school, and has continued to grow each year.