News
Saying "YES" to God's Call
July 28th, 2010
My friends,
What happens when you say ―Yes to God’s call? I don’t know if I can say that it turned my world upside down, but it was a journey of discovery. It began with having to write about my spiritual journey. This meant digging deep into my earliest memories of meeting God and reflecting on my relationship with Him through my life up to that time. This meant looking at not only those obvious God experiences like at church or camp, but also those times when I doubted my own ―goodness and lovability. I shared the story of my faith journey with members of St. Christopher’s at a parish dinner. For you see, this journey was not mine alone. The community of St. Christopher’s was traveling with me.
Much of the education was done accomplished by taking classes through the Diocese of Nevada’s ―School of Theology. Classes in scriptures, theology, pastoral care, liturgy and church history were offered each fall and spring. The most valuable part of this education process was that many members of St. Christopher’s, as well as other ―candidates for ordination in southern Nevada, and members of their congregations took the classes as well. This was not a journey I traveled alone. Our learning was done in community with clergy, the bishop and the Regional Vicars (Nevada’s ministry developers) taking an active role, teaching and interacting with us. The discussions were rich as we all gained a deeper understanding of our relationship with God as individuals and as community. We learned together and we developed deep trusting friendships that continue today.
Four times a year, I had to write a letter to the Bishop, sharing experiences and thoughts about my journey towards ordination. Reflecting with him, I began to understand that all my lives – mom, park ranger, priest – are not separate. They are interdependent and woven together into a single thread that is who I am. My journey towards priesthood was more than religious education. My experiences as a park ranger in the National Parks, and in raising a son as a single mother added depth to my priesthood. And my priesthood influenced how I did my job as park ranger and mother. Kay the park ranger who preached about interdependence in the natural world found that it was also true in the rest of life.
I was ordained to the priesthood (after 6 months as a transitional deacon) on October 3, 1993, the eve of the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. But that was not the end of the journey. As Bilbo Baggins in ―The Hobbit says ―The road goes ever on and on…
Peace, Kay
