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Beloved St. Anne’s,

 

We find ourselves in another season of grief-joy. Mtr. Maria, our Assistant Rector for Formation and Outreach, has accepted a new call. Although this comes as a surprise, we stand firm in our faith that God is up to great goodness in our midst! 

 

As you know, Mtr. Maria joined St. Anne’s clergy team straight out of seminary as a transitional deacon. We affirmed and rejoiced with her in her ordination to the priesthood, and watched her bloom into the growing priest she is today. 

 

St. Anne’s has a long history of raising up laity for ordination, forming seminarians, and nurturing new clergy in their vocation. We are truly grateful that we have had a foundational impact on Mtr Maria’s development as a priest!

 

Now the Spirit is calling her to serve in another community, in a focused capacity, as the Associate Rector for Children, Youth, and Families at St. Andrew’s in Burke, VA. Please read Mtr Maria’s letter below to learn more. We have readily seen Mtr. Maria’s gifts in working with young people, and know that she will be a blessing to the St. Andrew’s community! 

 

We join with Mtr. Maria in grieving the dream of what we hoped would continue to flourish here at St Anne’s, and we celebrate with her in this exciting new opportunity. I fully believe the Holy Spirit is stirring in this unexpected transition. We never know how long our paths will cross, so we are grateful for the time, experience, and gifts we share. Perhaps this is a “holy interruption,” as Mtr. Maria shares in her farewell letter. I wonder, what is God doing anew here at St. Anne’s?

 

Mtr. Maria’s last Sunday with us will be November 17. Please mark your calendars to attend worship and give Mtr. Maria a grand celebration and farewell! 

 

Let us pray: Almighty and Eternal God, we place our trust in your loving care. So draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, that we may be lifted to your Spirit’s presence, following where you lead. Amen.

 

Peace and blessings to you each this season of grief-joy.

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Beloved St. Anne’s,

 

We find ourselves in another season of grief-joy. Mtr. Maria, our Assistant Rector for Formation and Outreach, has accepted a new call. Although this comes as a surprise, we stand firm in our faith that God is up to great goodness in our midst! 

 

As you know, Mtr. Maria joined St. Anne’s clergy team straight out of seminary as a transitional deacon. We affirmed and rejoiced with her in her ordination to the priesthood, and watched her bloom into the growing priest she is today. 

 

St. Anne’s has a long history of raising up laity for ordination, forming seminarians, and nurturing new clergy in their vocation. We are truly grateful that we have had a foundational impact on Mtr Maria’s development as a priest!

 

Now the Spirit is calling her to serve in another community, in a focused capacity, as the Associate Rector for Children, Youth, and Families at St. Andrew’s in Burke, VA. Please read Mtr Maria’s letter below to learn more. We have readily seen Mtr. Maria’s gifts in working with young people, and know that she will be a blessing to the St. Andrew’s community! 

 

We join with Mtr. Maria in grieving the dream of what we hoped would continue to flourish here at St Anne’s, and we celebrate with her in this exciting new opportunity. I fully believe the Holy Spirit is stirring in this unexpected transition. We never know how long our paths will cross, so we are grateful for the time, experience, and gifts we share. Perhaps this is a “holy interruption,” as Mtr. Maria shares in her farewell letter. I wonder, what is God doing anew here at St. Anne’s?

 

Mtr. Maria’s last Sunday with us will be November 17. Please mark your calendars to attend worship and give Mtr. Maria a grand celebration and farewell! 

 

Let us pray: Almighty and Eternal God, we place our trust in your loving care. So draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, that we may be lifted to your Spirit’s presence, following where you lead. Amen.

 

Peace and blessings to you each this season of grief-joy.

unnamed (1).png
Mother Jess_edited_edited.png

Beloved St. Anne’s,

 

We find ourselves in another season of grief-joy. Mtr. Maria, our Assistant Rector for Formation and Outreach, has accepted a new call. Although this comes as a surprise, we stand firm in our faith that God is up to great goodness in our midst! 

 

As you know, Mtr. Maria joined St. Anne’s clergy team straight out of seminary as a transitional deacon. We affirmed and rejoiced with her in her ordination to the priesthood, and watched her bloom into the growing priest she is today. 

 

St. Anne’s has a long history of raising up laity for ordination, forming seminarians, and nurturing new clergy in their vocation. We are truly grateful that we have had a foundational impact on Mtr Maria’s development as a priest!

 

Now the Spirit is calling her to serve in another community, in a focused capacity, as the Associate Rector for Children, Youth, and Families at St. Andrew’s in Burke, VA. Please read Mtr Maria’s letter below to learn more. We have readily seen Mtr. Maria’s gifts in working with young people, and know that she will be a blessing to the St. Andrew’s community! 

 

We join with Mtr. Maria in grieving the dream of what we hoped would continue to flourish here at St Anne’s, and we celebrate with her in this exciting new opportunity. I fully believe the Holy Spirit is stirring in this unexpected transition. We never know how long our paths will cross, so we are grateful for the time, experience, and gifts we share. Perhaps this is a “holy interruption,” as Mtr. Maria shares in her farewell letter. I wonder, what is God doing anew here at St. Anne’s?

 

Mtr. Maria’s last Sunday with us will be November 17. Please mark your calendars to attend worship and give Mtr. Maria a grand celebration and farewell! 

 

Let us pray: Almighty and Eternal God, we place our trust in your loving care. So draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, that we may be lifted to your Spirit’s presence, following where you lead. Amen.

 

Peace and blessings to you each this season of grief-joy.

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Mother Jess_edited_edited.png
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My beloved siblings in Christ,

 

I write to you with sadness and joy as I share some bittersweet news. I have accepted a call to serve as Associate Rector for Children, Youth, and Families at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Burke, Virginia. My last Sunday with you will be November 17th, 2024, when we will celebrate our shared ministry and all God has done through us over the past 2+ years.

 

Together we have really hit our stride, and seeing the ministries we share blossom has been a pure joy. But sometimes the Holy Spirit surprises us, like an unexpected visitor knocking at our door. These “holy interruptions” can catch us off guard. 

 

Although I was not looking to leave St. Anne’s, and I am really enjoying my time here, when I received the phone call from The Rev. Will Packard, rector of St. Andrew’s, he explained that in recent years his parish had seen a boom of growth in young families. As a result, St. Andrew’s was looking to hire an experienced clergyperson to nurture these young persons in their relationship with Christ. He has heard good things about my ministry here and wondered what the Spirit was up to in my life. He asked if I would consider applying and that’s when I felt the Spirit nudging me to prayerfully consider this opportunity.

 

I went for a walk to get in touch with my emotions. I felt curious. I prayed that God would help me to open my hands, surrendering any illusion of control. “God, are you calling me and St. Andrew’s together?” 

 

After a prayerful, Spirit-guided discernment process with St. Andrew’s, it was clear. “Yes. Walk forward in this,” I heard the Lord leading me onward in prayer. 

 

St. Anne’s, you all have helped God make me into the experienced clergyperson, thriving in her ministry, that would receive such a phone call from an inquiring rector. God has molded me into a confident and competent priest through the past two years we have shared. And, I believe, God is leading me into a new setting of growth, not only for myself but also for the wider church.

 

Mother Jess has been so supportive in this entire process. I have admired her openness and trust of the Spirit and where God could be leading, as well as her altruistic desire to see me flourish in a new way and follow God’s call on my life. I have also admired her faith in what the Spirit has done, is doing, and will continue to do at St. Anne’s. 

 

Let us all admire and celebrate what the Spirit has done through us these past two years: call together an Adult Formation Team, which has offered incredible ways to ask questions and wrestle with issues of faith and justice; form a Pantry Visioning Team, through which God has shaped a beautiful, emerging, “with and among” approach that has deepened existing relationships among volunteers and food-insecure neighbors alike; nurture the ministry of children, youth, and their families through programs like Sunday School, Youth Group, Vacation Bible School, Moving Mountains Mission Trip; empower our youngest members through teams like the Youth Council, Sunday School Leadership Team, and Children & Youth Formation Team; and help us follow Jesus more closely through study of our baptismal vows in Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation Class.

 

Again, it has been a pure joy to share these ministries with you. Thank you. I have enjoyed it thoroughly, and I have learned so much from you. I am forever grateful to you for this privilege and opportunity to grow together in God. I am especially grateful to Mtr Jess, who has empowered me for this ministry; I would not be the priest I am today without God working through her to nurture, challenge, and inspire me.

 

I have no doubt that the same God who has begun a good work in you and in me will continue to carry it toward its completion until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). The same God who called me to you all two and a half years ago, and who has now called me to journey onward at St. Andrew’s, has a plan for you – “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

 

The same Holy Spirit who came knocking on my door is also knocking on yours, waiting for you to open up the unexpected gift She presents.

 

For now, let’s celebrate all that She has done in and through us together.

 

With gratitude and love in Christ,

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