Loading...On Sunday, October 31, Bishop Nathan D. Baxter ordained six new deacons to serve diocesan congregations. Surrounded by friends and family at a joyous liturgy at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the three men and three women joined a group of more than twenty other deacons who provide servant ministries to parishes and those in need throughout Central Pennsylvania.
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Newly ordained Deacons, Hank Morrow, Nancy Rementer, John Harwood, |
Those ordained come from a variety of backgrounds. The Rev. Nancy Rementer, from Marietta, PA, is a health care professional. She will be assigned to St. John's, Marietta. The Rev. John Harwood, a tenured faculty member at Penn State, will be assigned to Trinity, Renovo. The Rev. Hank Morrow, an engineer from Elizabethtown, PA, with be assigned to St. Edward's, Lancaster. The Rev. Janet Brown, a social worker from Lititz, PA, will be assigned to St. John the Baptist, York. The Rev. Loretta Collins, who is a school psychologist in Huntingdon, PA, will be assigned to St. Mark’s, Lewistown. The Rev. Charles Cruikshank, an industrial manager from Belleville, PA, will be assigned to St. John’s, Huntingdon.
In his sermon at the Ordination Liturgy, Bishop Baxter recounted the many ways in which Biblical figures sought to escape God’s call—too old; too tongue-tied; too busy—and interwove those struggles with the discernment process through which the new deacons had recently come. He noted that God’s call comes in many ways and at many times, and he stressed the effort and dedication required to respond in the way those being ordained had done.
All six of the ordinands received their preparation in the School of Christian Studies. Operated by the Diocese, the school provides affordable, part-time coursework leading to ordination as a deacon. This offers an important alternative to the traditional—and much more expensive—three year seminary programs.
Selected photos from the Ordination are available on our Recent Photos page.
