It is with great humility and joy that I share the news that God willing and the people consenting the Right Reverend C. Andrew Doyle has given me my “take orders” letter to be ordained a priest on January 15, 2021.
Let me backup and tell you the crazy story about how I found out this news.
Tuesday morning, December 7, began like any other morning: a decent jog, a lot of shuffling children, and a morning traffic jam on the way to work. I had such a lovely vacation enjoying my time with sweet Faith as we celebrated her fourth birthday over the weekend. Yet, I also missed all of you and your festive Lessons and Carols.1 I was looking forward to getting back to seeing all of you this week. Little did I know that Tuesday would be a day I would remember for the rest of my life.
As many of you know, I had my interview with the standing committee for the Diocese of Texas on Thursday, December 2. Fr. Roman gave me the day to work at home so that I could be calm and present for the interview. The business of the weekend gave me some distraction from the possible outcome: their vote decides whether or not I would be ordained a priest.2 It is fair to say that I was checking my email rather obsessively. I went into a meeting with Dede Johnson, administrative assistant to Fr. Roman Roldan, and she asked if I had checked my email (with quite a smirk I might add). I ran to my computer. I refreshed my browser. On both emails. With slumped shoulders, I arrived back at the table. Luckily, Dede slid her phone across the desk: there was the letter from The Diocese of Texas with my letter in it.
As it turns out, my email had been “compromised” and access had been shut off for security purposes. The timing was unfortunate.
You might be wondering what the difference between a deacon and a priest is, and for that the best place to turn is the Book of Common Prayer. The ministers of the church include: laity, bishops, priests (or presbyters), and deacons.3 The primary duty of a deacon is to be a servant and “to assist bishops and priests” in their ministry. Deacons are a bridge between the world and the church. This is why it is appropriate that curates begin as deacons: we bridge the gap between life as laity and the church bringing all those fresh seminary experiences with us to the parish. It is also why I treasure anyone who takes orders as a permanent deacon. Those with this calling are constantly engaging the church into its full missional potential.
Priests, or presbyters, are to stand “with the bishop in the overseeing of the church.” This calling, to which I have felt for almost a decade, means being the pastor to a particular people for a particular time. Priests lead and walk with people in their everyday faith journeys. It is the messy, and beautiful parts of faith and sacraments that priests are able to engage: the celebration of new life and the celebration of life (i.e. funerals) and everything in between.
Holy Orders in the Episcopal church are a bit like Russian nesting dolls: Every priest must first be a deacon. Every bishop must first be a priest. Bishops are the primary pastors in our church. They are the ones who lead and guide the diocese. It is a great blessing to serve under such inspiring leaders such as Bishop Doyle, who constantly encourages people to go out and serve beyond church walls.4 It is a great blessing to begin this ministry with you at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church. I look forward to celebrating with all of you very soon.
For His Sake,
Beth Anne Nelson
1 To see the incredible Sunday worship go to: https://vimeo.com/channels/stdunstanslive
2 A reminder about the Standing committee can be found at https://www.epicenter.org/diocese/governance/standingcommittee/
3 I am now going to basically give you the summary of the Book of Common Prayer (1979) New York: Church Publishing pp.855-856
4 To read more about our amazing bishops, please go to: https://www.epicenter.org/diocese/about-thediocese/staff/. Bishop Doyle has two blogs: http://hitchhikingthebible.blogspot.com/ and http://texasbishop. Both are worth a view.
