Preparing for Ordination
From Whitney Wilson, Associate for Formation and Ministry Development
Dear Church of the Resurrection,
As many of you know, I have been preparing for Ordination to the priesthood over the past few years. I am thrilled to tell you all that I have been approved for ordination and will be ordained a transitional deacon Saturday June 3rd at 11am at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco and then as a priest in December 2023.
I thought it might be helpful to explain some of the steps and how I got to this stage – as it has been a journey for me.
In July of 2020, Rev. Liz and I met to discuss how I was discerning a renewed call to the priesthood. I had received my Masters of Theological Studies (MTS) from CDSP (the Episcopal seminary) in May 2014 and at that time, felt that my place in the church was as a lay leader. But during 2020, especially as the pandemic progressed, I felt that call change and realized that God was again calling me in a new direction – to the ordained priesthood. After Rev. Liz and I spoke, we worked together to form a “Local Discernment Committee” (LDC) made up of Laura Gianello, Russ Bratburd, Jeremy Carlson, and Leslie Leong. I met with the Local Discernment Committee many times over the next six months to consider and discuss this calling. And at the end of the series of meetings, they decided that they had also seen a calling for me and would recommend to the Vestry to endorse my nomination for Ordination.
The Vestry endorsed my application to begin the Ordination process and in November 2021, I attended the “Vocations Conference” to be interviewed by the Commission on Ministry. They are the diocesan committee that serves as the advisors to the Bishop regarding ordination. After meeting with me – they sent their recommendations to the Bishop and Bishop Marc interviewed me as well. He gave his approval for me to begin the ordination process. With that, I officially became a “postulant” (the earliest stage for ordination).
Over the past year or so of my Postulancy, I have taken 6 courses at Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP): Sacramental Liturgics, Leadership in Liturgics, Pastoral Theology, New Testament Greek, Church History – Reformation to the Present, and Theology in the Anglican Tradition. The MTS degree that I received is intended primarily for those pursuing lay vocations in the church, so these additional courses rounded-out my studies to include areas essential for ordination.
I have also been working on “Field Ed” requirements which are the “hours” you spend at some outside church to put your academic learning into a real world context. My Field Ed included my work here and work with those in need in the wider community: volunteering at Glide Memorial in the Tenderloin, All Souls Berkeley delivering meals to the homeless, and a twice monthly commitment to passing out food from the food pantry at Hillcrest Church in Pleasant Hill.
Beginning last October, I started to work on another requirement for ordination: Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). This is a program that requires one to complete 300 hours of in-person chaplaincy work and 100 hours of theological reflection work. I did my chaplaincy work with VITAS Hospice organization and my theological work (online small group work, reading, and writing case studies) with The Institute for Clinical Pastoral Training. And then during the first week of January, I took my General Ordination Exams which were 6 half-day exams covering: Theology, Ethics, Church History, Liturgy, Ministry in Practice, and Scripture. I received my passing grades in February.
So why a “transitional deacon?” The Episcopal church has the practice of requiring all newly ordained priests to first serve a minimum 6 months as a transitional deacon and then be ordained as a priest so I will be ordained as a deacon on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at Grace Cathedral and then ordained to the priesthood on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. During that six month period, with Rev. Liz’s approval I will be serving in slightly different ways at church: reading the Gospel, setting the table for communion and assisting in worship.
You all are welcome to attend the ordination on Saturday, June 3rd at 11am at Grace Cathedral. And if you can’t attend – I will see you at Resurrection on Sunday June 4th serving in my new role.
Over the past few years, so many of you have shown me your support and shared your compassion for me as I worked my way through this process. I have appreciated your “cheerleading” when I had doubts, your concern when I struggled, and your well wishes through it all. Thank you for being a wonderfully supportive community in my formation to ordination.
With much love,
Whitney