On the 2nd of July we ordained Air National Guard chaplain Laura Adelia to the sacred order of priests, the first ordination of a priest in this episcopacy since I became Bishop for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries. The ordination was celebrated at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Sedona, AZ. The Rt. Rev. Kirk Smith, Bishop Diocesan of Arizona, was the ordaining bishop. Bishop Smith graciously invited me to assist him with the ordination.
Laura, a chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) in the ANG, had been an ordained clergy person of the United Church of Christ. Most recently Laura completed a deployment with the ANG to Antarctica and achieved the distinction of being the first female chaplain to have wintered over in Antarctica. This past May, in anticipation of her impending ordination to the priesthood, Laura attended our annual Episcopal Federal Chaplains Training Conference in Roslyn, VA, where many of us had the opportunity to meet Laura for the first time.
Laura is currently completing a Clinical Pastoral Education unit at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, CA. Upon completion of this phase of her clinical training she will split her time between her ANG chaplaincy and serving as a college chaplain in the Diocese of Arizona.
We welcome Laura into our community of federal chaplains!
Bishop Jay
The Rt. Rev. James B. "Jay" Magness, D.Min.
Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries
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