Saturday, September 10 was a day of firsts in the Diocese featuring a joyful double celebration of ordinations. The Ordination of Priests was hosted in the morning by St. George’s, Fredericksburg. Bishop Jennifer Brooke-Davidson presided over the ordination of seven people to the Sacred Order of Priests: Paul Evans, Stacy Carlson Kelly, Kevin Laskowski, Kevin Newell, Natalie Perl Regan, Julie Rodriguez, and Winnie Smith. The homilist, the Rev. Dr. Mark Jefferson, delivered an inspiring message of embracing ministry in a time of crisis.
In an afternoon service at Trinity, Fredericksburg, Bishop Brooke-Davidson presided over the Ordination of Deacons, Susannah (Susie) Harding, and Dawn McNamara. This celebration embraced the beauty of bilingual worship and song in both Spanish and English. The Rev. Dr. Sarah Kye Price commemorated St. Phoebe in her homily. Susie and Dawn are the first graduates of the St. Phoebe School for Deacons to be ordained. St. Phoebe’s School was founded by the Dioceses of Virginia and Southwestern Virginia in 2019 to prepare those called to ministry as vocational deacons.
Also on Saturday, Suzanne Hood was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests in the Diocese of East Carolina. God willing, Leah Wise will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests in the Diocese of Texas on Saturday, October 1. They are ordained in these dioceses on behalf of Bishop Susan Goff.
We give thanks for our new clergy colleagues, as the Diocese (and the Church!) welcomes these newly ordained Priests and Deacons.
