Hundreds of parishioners and friends of The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta filled The Cathedral of St. Philip on December 14, 2024, to celebrate the ordination of four deacons and a priest. Bishop Rob Wright delivered a sermon that focused on the significance of the ministry of John the Baptist.
Wright stressed the importance of sincerity in one’s religious commitments while cautioning against allowing religious practices to become mere spectacles.
“Our purpose this afternoon is clear. It is to publicly and formally confirm what the Holy Spirit has been up to for decades. That is to call Trey, Marycelis, Dominique, Peter and Mary Grace to live out their baptismal vows as deacon and priest.
It makes sense to me that as we take up this worship and work today, that we would consider the life and ministry of one of my favorites, John the Baptist. Not only because it’s John that helps us prepare ourselves for the birth of Christ in just a few weeks, but also because of John’s vocational clarity and service to the lordship of Jesus of Nazareth.”
Travion Cortez Davis, Dominique D. Deming, Marycelis González Otero, and Peter Henshaw Waggoner were ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons. Mary Grace DuPree was ordained to the Sacred Order of the Priesthood.
A Year of New Ministries
On January 27, 2024, Bishop Wright commissioned 18 lay ministers from 15 parishes.
On June 22, 2024, four new priests were ordained by Bishop Wright.
Wright acknowledged the new deacons and priests’ calling and set the context of their ordination within the larger scope of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta’s 120 worshiping communities, He stressed the communal aspect of ministry and the support that the diocese will provide the newly ordained.
Wright drew parallels to John the Baptist’s vocational clarity and unwavering commitment to serving Jesus Christ as a model for ordained ministers. John’s role in baptizing and preparing people for a new beginning underlines the importance of guiding and nurturing congregants through their own spiritual journeys.
“I hope it’s clear why we, especially those of us who are ordained and who aspire to be ordained, need to spend some time with my boy John. Three reasons. His vocational clarity, his vocational courage, his vocational capacity. John exemplifies all of that.
And one more thing. An extraordinary humility. What is John’s theology? ‘Jesus must increase and I must decrease.’ That is what we have come to affirm today. Let’s be clear. Not only you five, but you have given us an excuse again to wash ourselves in this truth, lay and ordained that this is Jesus’ church and that we minister in his name to his people, strengthening them with his sacraments.”
Wright outlined several challenges faced by the clergy, including the need to maintain the authentic identity of Jesus Christ and resist attempts to misrepresent the gospel. Additionally, he said, clergy are called to demonstrate courage in challenging socio-political norms and focus on personal conduct as an act of worship.
“All devices that maintain innocence or illusion must be abandoned. That’s John’s good news. John gets reality in the room because John knows how people will try to domesticate his message. And we should know, as we ordain today, how people will attempt to domesticate the gospel in our time.
You five are being called to be ordained right now, at this time, when Jesus has become a victim of unprecedented identity theft. Some have made him a rabid nationalist. Some would make him a political pawn. Some have made him an apolitical personal good luck charm. Others have made him just a group dude with no expectations for us at all.
The church’s work, our work, our privilege is to reintroduce the Jesus of the Bible to his church first and then to the world that he loves by word and deed.”
Deacon Davis, sponsored by Holy Innocents’, Atlanta is serving at St. Paul’s Atlanta. He also serves as the lower school chaplain at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School and as the Campus Missioner at Atlanta University Center. Deacon Deming, sponsored by All Saints, Warner Robins is serving at St. Patrick’s, Atlanta. Deacon Otero, sponsored by Holy Innocents’, Atlanta is serving at Holy Innocents’. Deacon Waggoner, sponsored by The Church of the Ascension, Cartersville is serving at Church of the Epiphany, Decatur. The Rev. Dupree, sponsored by St. James’ Marietta, will be priest in charge at Good Shepherd, Covington.
