9 February 1979 ~ James M. Donald Ordination at the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington

 

18 December 2007 Ordination to the Priesthood

 

A few pics from my pre-ordination retreat at Wapiti

We had a marvelous time; it is a great space!

Ordination to the diaconate at Philadelphia Cathedral ~ 9 June 2007

Nine Years Ago:

Ordination to the diaconate at Philadelphia Cathedral ~ 9 June 2007

Ministry

Priesthood anniversary

Two years ago, I was ordained a priest in God's One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.  In St. James's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, in the Diocese of Virginia, Bishop Peter James Lee ordained me a priest.  After a long journey of discernment, and two decades of resisting this call I was so happy and also humbled to be ordained.  It has been a rich and full two years as a priest, following six months serving as a transitional deacon.  I feel blessed to be ordained, and to be an Episcopal priest within the Anglican Communion, and have learned a great deal, but have a ton more to learn in this work.  Luckily, God and God's people are quite forgiving and have allowed me to grow into this role and I am grateful.  I look forward with hope to many more good years as a priest, husband, father, friend, brother, and child of God.

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Two years ago....

Article in Richmond's "Times-Dispatch"

Ordination of Yejide, Sven, Matthew and AnneMarie in Richmond, Diocese of Virginia, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church - 6 December 2008

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Richmond, VA

Priests getting reading to help ordain

Priests looking holy

One of the newest four priests in the church!
Check out the cool stole!

Advice for those in the Discernment Process - from "Ember Days"

I think that "Ember Days" has some wonderful thoughts, solid wisdom, and a great sense of humor...check out his advice for those in the discernment process towards ordination in the Episcopal Church. I've listed the 9 main points, for details, click HERE.

~~~~~~~~~

From "Ember Days" Blog...

Now that my discernment process for ordained ministry is behind me (and the ministry itself in front of me), I thought I'd offer my advice -- for whatever it might be worth -- to those who are in the process, or at least that part of the process that begins with admission to postulancy and ends with the imposition of episcopal hands. Basically, here's what I learned by doing a lot of stuff wrong.

(1) Have a regular and reliable connection with someone on the Commission on Ministry.


(2) Make sure the expectations for your "program of preparation" are explicit and in writing.


(3) Have an understanding with the Bishop (and other relevant parties) about how the General Ordination Examination will be used.


(4) Be persistent.


(5) Keep your Bishop informed.


(6) Let your sponsoring parish see you from time to time.


(7) Have a copy of the canons handy.


(8) Keep good records.


(9) Keep reminding yourself that the telos of this process is not getting ordained; it's being a priest.


Read the post HERE
~~~~~~~~~~

(and one more from me...

If you don't know what telos means, look it up before you go to seminary!

Article on our ordination in Richmond Paper...

Va.'s Episcopal Diocese ordains 16 new priests
The infusion comes a year after 25 priests left with 15 splinter congregations

Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 - 12:08 AM

By ALBERTA LINDSEY
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

(Read the Richmond Times article here.)



RT. REV. PETER JAMES LEE Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Virginia

A year after 15 congregations left the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, taking 25 priests with them, the diocese is celebrating the ordination of 16 new priests.

The priests were ordained in three separate services this week. They made up the largest class to be ordained from the diocese since the Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee became bishop in 1985. They will join the 450 priests in the Virginia diocese, which has had a net gain of 100 priests under Lee's leadership.

"We have a vibrant group of new priests in the last 48 hours," Lee said to applause from the congregation that packed St. James's Episcopal Church on West Franklin Street in Richmond for Tuesday night's ordination service for five priests.

Four other priests were ordained Sunday at Grace Church in Kilmarnock by the Rt. Rev. Shannon Sherwood Johnston. It was his first ordination since becoming bishop coadjutor in May. Seven more were ordained Monday at Church of the Good Shepherd in Burke by the Rt. Rev. David Colin Jones, suffragan bishop.

After the service, Lee said he felt very encouraged.

"It's especially encouraging since a number of these new priests are in their late 20s and early 30s. They bring a variety of life experiences and deep commitment. We have people from small churches. We have people in big churches. We have school chaplains," he said. "Working with newly ordained people is a highlight because they bring such energy."

At the same time that the diocese is celebrating the ordination of new priests, it is involved in a court fight over ownership of church property with 11 of 15 conservative congregations that pulled out of the denomination a year ago. The churches that left were upset about the national church's approval of an openly gay man for ordination as a bishop and other matters. A Fairfax County Circuit Court judge heard arguments in the case during a five-day trial in November but has not issued a ruling.

. . .

During Tuesday's service, the ordinands promised to obey their bishop and others with authority over them and affirmed their belief in the Old and New Testaments as the word of God. They also promised to love and serve the people with whom they would work, to preach and to declare God's forgiveness. They acknowledged a belief that they had been called by God to the priesthood.

Presbyterian layman E. Carson Brisson, associate professor of biblical languages, and associate dean for academic programs at Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School for Christian Education in North Richmond, gave the sermon. He had taught some of the ordinands in seminary and they invited him to preach, said Louise "Weezie" Blanchard, a newly ordained priest who is associate rector at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on Grove Avenue.

Brisson likened the new priests to a Bedouin shepherd who took her 15 sheep one at a time across a rain-swollen creek. Once the flock was safely on the other side, the shepherd spoke to each one by name. Brisson quoted Jesus' words: "I am the good shepherd because my father wants me to love my sheep, and that's what I do."

For Whitney Bland Zimmerman, who was ordained Tuesday and is associate rector at St. James's, Brisson's message was clear. "You love first. Everything else is second," she said.

Being ordained makes Zimmerman feel "deeply engaged in the community in a way that is so intimate that it's hard to describe," she said. The service is a reminder to her that her role is about serving God, not about herself, she added.

. . .

This week's ordination was the second for the priests. They were ordained deacons last summer. Deacons serve six months to a year in servant ministry, meaning they keep the church informed about the needs of the world. That is a reminder to the priests that their ordination is rooted in servanthood.

Johnston, who will succeed Lee as diocesan bishop when Lee retires, attributed the size of the ordination class "to the sense of commitment to mission that is very much alive in Virginia."

He added: "The Episcopal Church is an exciting church, a church that has a lot of attractiveness to people because of its history. Young people are responding to that."

The church is also "very tolerant of broadly diverse points of view. . . . I think questions that are so pressing in our society are being addressed by the church in a way that cannot be addressed in other discourses," Johnston said. "I'm encountering and experiencing the church in Virginia as being extraordinarily vibrant."

Priesthood (almost)

Tomorrow I will be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. This official process has taken 7 years, but I first started feeling a sense of call to this vocation nearly 30 years ago when I was about 8 years old ~I will say more about that in a later post. There is much I can say about the process, and I hope to do so, but at this point my mind turns to prayer, that I might be given the strength, wisdom and patience to live out this calling.


A prayer I love from the ordination service sends me into some reflection this evening:


O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look
favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred
mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry
out in tranquillity the plan of salvation; let the whole world
see and know that things which were cast down are being
raised up, and things which had grown old are being made
new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection
by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus
Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity
of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.


As I have moved through the last week towards ordination I have re-read Archbishop Michael Ramsey's book, The Christian Priest Today, which is an excellent book, and offers much food for thought.

Also, I re-watched one of my favorite movies, The Mission, starring Robert DeNiro and Jeremy Irons (and Daniel Berrigan!)...watch a clip below for a taste of it, and then rent it!

Thank you for your prayers, your presence tomorrow, and for all those who have supported me along the way!

Peace and Blessings,

Peter

The Mission (excerpt)

Ordination Invitation

You are all invited to my ordination to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church on December 18th at St. James Episcopal Church in Richmond at 7:00 pm. So, please join in this celebration, and if you can't make it, please send your prayers and good thoughts on this special day.

[If you are wondering, "whaaat? I thought he was a priest!?" I have not been an imposter the last 5 months, rather, those who are moving toward ordination to the priesthood spend at least 6 months as a "transitional deacon." These deasons are also clergypeople in the Episcopal Church, but whose ministry is largely a "servanthood" ministry of "bringing the church to the world, and the world to the church" and whose ministry is largely that of reminding the church about those in need in the world. I plan to say more about the "transitional diaconate" after the Thanksgiving Holiday, so stay tuned for a new video!]

Peace be with you,

The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Twists and Turns of the Ordination Process

Last night, news came across the Episcopal News Service that my bishop, Rt. Rev. Charles Bennison, Jr., as a part of a presentment (or indictment) against him was inhibited by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori from all 'episcopal' duties. Read more about it HERE.

This means, in effect that he is "suspended" from his duties until the results of a trial take place. For me, this means that I am awaiting finding out who might ordain me to the priesthood. While the bishop is inhibited, the Standing Committee (a type of a board of governors) of the Diocese of Pennsylvania are the "ecclesiastical authority" in his place. So, I am awaiting might happen this weekend at our Diocesan (annual) Convention and praying for the good people of my diocese. It feels like a family in crisis and my heart really goes out to everyone there.

Please also pray for me as I "wait patiently on the Lord" and on the Standing Committee to see how they might move forward through these troubled waters!

I read on Mark Harris's Preludium blog a nice description and discussion of the issue with Bishop Bennison, as well as the bishop across the state of Pennsylvania, Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, who is also being warned that his actions might force an inhibition. I found Mark's comments to be helpful in understanding the moment in which we find ourselves...

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey


There are times when following the story of the Episcopal Church in these difficult times of internal strife and ecclesial invasion from without gets a bit complex. Matters are made all the more difficult when these take place against the background of the slow and painful demise of the American Empire. So it takes a bit of doing to get a grip on what is happening in The Episcopal Church these days.

Reference to "Title IV" of the Canons of the Episcopal Church is not usually newsworthy. In the past week, however, Title IV has come up on several occasions:
(i) At Executive Council the issue of costs related to various legal matters growing out of Title IV concerns was raised.
(ii) Bishop Bennison of Pennsylvania has been inhibited pending the review by the Title IV review committee.
(iii) Bishop Robert Duncan has been warned that if he and the Diocese of Pittsburgh change their constitution so that unqualified accession to the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church is assured, he might well be understood to have abandoned the communion of this church, under Title IV.

Title IV of the Canons of the Episocpal Church covers matters of ecclesiastical discipline. In Bishop Bennison's case, matters of conduct in relation to his pastoral responsibilities, in the matter of the clergy and bishops aligning with other provinces or denying their oaths of obedience, their ecclesial responsibilities.

The property issues arise from another canon, Title I 7 4.1. But those issues intersect with Title IV issues when it is by virtue of the abandonment of the communion of this Church that the claim is made by the leaving bishop or clergy that they continue to have the right of use of the facilities they held while part of The Episcopal Church.

The problem is that the keys continue to be in the hands of the now deposed or otherwise absent clergy. Getting the keys back takes place against the background of the rights of the clergy, which arose as a matter of right by their inclusion in the clergy of this church.

In Bishop Bennison's case he has had the keys taken away from him by inhibition. In Bishop Duncan's case it appears the Church is saying that if it is shown that he has abandoned the communion of this Church, the Church will demand the keys back.

Read the rest HERE.


PRELUDIUM: Bishops, accountability and Title IV

Approved for Ordination to the Priesthood

On Friday, I received a call on my cell phone while I was teaching a class of 3rd graders about Anglican Worship at Williamsbug during colonial times.

The substance of the call was that I was approved for ordination to the priesthood which was the final hurdle in a 6 year discernment process which included 3 years of parish work, 3 years of seminary, and the last few months as a transitional deacon. While I expected to be approved, strange things sometimes happen in these processes, so it is a great joy for me to move through to this step of the process and I rejoice. So, if you are in Philly on December 15th, come by the Philadelphia (Episcopal) Cathedral, and send along your prayers and good thoughts if you cannot be there.

Peace and blessings,

Peter

Sermon Preached at my Ordination to the Diaconate by the Rev. Robert L.Tate

Bob Tate sponsored me for ordination out of St. Martin in the Fields, Chestnut Hill, PA and he preached this challenging and incisive sermon at my ordination to the (transitional) diaconate.

~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Diocese of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Cathedral, Saturday, June 9, 2007

A Sermon Preached at the Diaconate Ordination Service

A sermon preached by the Rev. Robert L. Tate, Rector, Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Philadelphia, on Saturday, June 9, 2007 on the occasion of the Diaconate Ordination Service at the Philadelphia Cathedral.

I.

Last week I picked up my teenage son from his AP US History exam. Now any parent can tell you that some of the most important conversations happen in the enclosed environment of the automobile. “So, Andy, how did your exam go?” “Ungh ” “How do you think you did?” “Uh-uh-ungh.” See what I mean? Quality conversation.

I kept pressing. “So what do you think was the most important thing you learned this year in AP US History?” Long silence. Then. “OK Dad. We learned that your generation has completely ruined this country for our generation. Social Security. Health Care. Public Education. The tax system. Our cities. Our reputation in the world. The environment. You want me to go on?”

I didn’t know quite what to say, so I just kept driving. Because I know in my heart he is right.

I have spent the last three days leading the pre-ordination retreat with our seven ordinands at the Diocesan Conference Center at Wapiti. In several of our sessions I heard their comments about the current state of the church. “The parish church model is bankrupt. For 400 years we have basically perpetuated an anachronistic 18th century English agrarian model of living the Christian life that no longer works. Our aging buildings are killing our parishes and stifling ministry. Many, maybe even a majority, of our parishes seem to be expending all their energies and resources simply trying to meet the ever-rising costs of everything and trying to survive. That is not why Jesus Christ lived and died for us. That is not ministry.”

And they did go on. “We haven’t even begun to realize the vision of the ministry of the baptized embodied in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Clericalism is still a cancer in the church. And the leadership of the church, not to mention the people in the pews, are clueless about the paradigm shift that is required.”

I didn’t know quite what to say, so I just kept listening. Because I know in my heart that they are right.

Read the rest HERE or HERE.

Helpful Letter to the NYTimes Editor by Bishop Bruno

The Episcope blog has posted a very helpful letter to the NYTimes Editor by Bishop Jon Bruno of the Diocese of Los Angeles on the recent article about the adult film star who was supposedly on the priesthood track...

July 17, 2007

+Bruno writes the New York Times

The New York Times
To the editor:

I would like to clear some factual errors in the article by reporter Sharon Waxman, “Man of the Flesh to Man of the Cloth,” (Sunday July 15, Fashion and Style).

Mr. Ronald Boyer is not in any process for ordination in The Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Los Angeles. He has expressed an interest in ordained ministry, as do dozens of people every year. But the path to ordination is a long, careful, deliberate process, beginning with a discernment committee in the applicant’s own congregation, which over a period of time arrives at a prayerful recommendation as to whether or not to support the person’s application.

Read the rest of the Letter to the Editor HERE.

Pre-Ordination Retreat

Early Morning over the Elk River


"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"