Cheerfully and Willingly

Four new deacons, holding Bibles presented by the Bishop

On a mild spring afternoon in the City four deacons and three priests were ordained into the Episcopal Church at Grace Cathedral.

In addition to passing tests and interviews, ordination requires two years of full-time study at divinity school and 3-6 months of field work ("Clinical Pastoral Education"), but for those who hold full-time jobs and/or are raising a family the journey can take much longer; in the case of the deacon whom we had been sponsoring it took nine years.

The bishop and the newly ordained prepare for Communion

The two-hour service breezed by since all in attendance had a personal connection to the participants and paid rapt attention. Even Bishop Marc's homily on St. Basil, one of the principal authors of the Nicene Creed and the doctrine of the Trinity, was surprisingly interesting.

After the recessional, well-wishers surrounded the new men and women of the cloth. A lifetime of service with few earthly treasures awaits, but they will walk that path cheerfully and willingly.