Team

Larry’s baptism story has some unique turns. Baptized as an infant probably in the Presbyterian Church, his father died suddenly when Larry was five. Eventually, his mother remarried a Roman Catholic who was in the Air Force, and his whole family began to attend a Roman Catholic parish. As part of the formal preparation for First Communion, he was baptized again when he was eight. This was a common practice in the Roman Catholic church at the time. Larry remembers having to be lifted-up to the tall Baptismal font for the water to be poured, and the words to be said. He feels it is a fine reminder that he lives into his Baptism only with the care of others.

In his early adulthood, he entered a religious order – the Jesuits – where he experienced a sense of mission, was given a great education and formation in spirituality for eleven years. After being approved for ordination, he made the hard decision not to be ordained as he had many questions about living a celibate life and eventually left the community. Larry’s journey then comprised of several years on a parish staff, ten years on a Bishop’s staff, twenty-five years in leadership, and chaplaincy in faith based medical centers.

Larry is an Episcopal Priest, who serves St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in South Kansas City. He also serves on the Standing Committee of his Diocese and is involved in the Lay Licensing and Vocational Discernment committees of the Commission on Ministry. Presently he is engaged in completing his Doctor of Ministry thesis in Christian Spirituality at Virginia Theological Seminary. He is completing his Board term as Vice President of Journey to Baptismal Living, an ecumenical faith organization promoting the Adult Catechumenate.

Larry’s wife, Christy, has been an Episcopal priest for over twenty-five years. They have two young adult daughters, both adopted from China.

Myra attended Catholic schools for 12 years and started that learning experience while attending a Baptist church (on occasion) with her family. Her faith formation happened mostly in religion class and during school mass. The principal announced over the PA system that the Garnes children would be baptized and receive The Holy Eucharist during the spring break. The classrooms exploded with cheers from friends! During the Easter Vigil at Christ the King Catholic Church in Columbus, Ohio on April 10, 1982 Myra, her brother, and sister were baptized. Their mother was confirmed the same evening while their father and godparents stood along with them.
Myra is grateful that this is a day she can remember with her siblings and that the decision was theirs; not just a choice that their parents made for them. Myra and her siblings decided to affirm their faith and make a commitment as members of the Body of Christ in a community that they were immersed in every day. She continued seeking a true welcome and inclusion the way she felt during that Easter Vigil.
Myra’s faith journey took her to many churches and denominations over the years before she found The Episcopal Church. She loves our Episcopal tradition of reaffirming our faith and renewing our baptismal vows. The words of the Baptismal Covenant resonate with her whenever she hears or recites them. Myra feels called to love, to forgive, to push against injustice and to evangelize in her own unique way. She had found her faith home and she is welcome here!
As the Canon for Youth & Young Adult Ministries in the Diocese of Long Island Myra is blessed every day to lead a ministry with young people grounded in principles of social justice and rooted in the gospel. Together, they aspire to create moments in which they will experience God and grow in their faith so that they too feel loved and will welcome others. Myra lives in Suffolk County on Long Island and adores seeing the beauty of the ocean daily.

Maureen-Elizabeth Hagen was baptized Roman Catholic at four weeks, confirmed at 10 years, and then her family left church for three decades. The intervening years found her exploring other cultures and engaged in all things international. Two years in Peace Corps, a year at the Sorbonne, and five years at grad school at Columbia fed Maureen’s mind and imagination. God’s presence was seldom felt in all the busyness of life. Disappointment led to questioning which led to making a decision to give church a try and that has made all the difference.

Four months after Maureen started attending All Saints Episcopal Church, she witnessed her first baptism. As they prepared to welcome Reid Nicole into the Body of Christ, Maureen paid close attention to the promises she was making on Reid’s behalf and the reaffirmation of her own baptismal vows. From that time forward, Maureen embraced a strong baptismal ecclesiology which has helped form all that she does. A fierce champion of the ministry of all the baptized, it was her community which saw in Maureen a call to ordination. She became a deacon in 2004; with a ministry focusing on empowering and equipping the people of God to live into their baptismal covenant as we work to ensure that all are included. Currently, Maureen serves in a small urban congregation which feeds 150,000 people a year, and directs the diocesan formation program which provides theological education for all. She is also president of the Association for Episcopal Deacons and a member of the Task Force for Clergy (and Lay) Leadership Formation for Small Congregations.

Yoimel is originally from Cuba and is currently living in the Washington D.C. area. He was baptized in Cuba, in the Presbyterian Church, when he was 12-years-old. The day of his baptism was the first day he walked into a church, but after less than 2-hours experiencing his baptism, and the vibrant energy of the Sunday School, he felt he wanted to be part of the church. After some years, and as part of his leadership, he became a Catechist supporting children, teenagers, and people of all ages that began looking at the Cuban church as a space for spiritual growth and social participation. His baptism was really the beginning of a long journey of faith that continues now in the Episcopal Church in the United States.

As part of the Episcopal Church, Yoimel remembers his confirmation in the Washington National Cathedral as a crucial moment of continuity, and re-commitment, now in the Episcopal branch of the Body of Christ. He graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) in the Anglican Studies program in 2019 and he was ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Washington in June 2019. He is now an Associate Priest at St. Alban´s Episcopal Church and the Dean of the Latino Deacon´s School in his diocese.  

When Yoimel is not at church, he is reading or writing poetry, visiting museums, or listening to Cuban music.

As a catechist Yoimel is looking to share his multicultural experience in the Episcopal Church, learning from the experiences of other disciples, and continuing to find the signs of God´s presence around in the world.

The central memory around Dorothy’s baptism was the visit from her pastor. It was a solemn occasion, with Dorothy and the pastor seated in the center of the formal living room, while her parents sat to one side. She doesn’t remember specific questions or her answers but recalls the intent. Gently, but with great seriousness, he asked about her decision and public profession of faith to accept Jesus as her Savior. Dorothy was seven years old when this conversation occurred.

The influence of the Southern Baptist Church remains with Dorothy to this day. Memorized scripture is still etched in her mind, along with camp experiences and questions that keep her faith vibrant and ever-changing. After graduating from Baylor University, she was a reporter and copy editor for newspapers in Texas, South Carolina, and Georgia. Soon after her marriage to a colleague at the Atlanta Constitution, she was confirmed into the Episcopal Church. Like many in her generation, she tested out different career paths before becoming a mother. The experiences gained working one day a week for 14 years at one of Mother Teresa’s houses for men with AIDs transformed Dorothy’s spiritual life and grounded her faith.

Dorothy recently retired after spending 22 years in Christian formation at Virginia Theological Seminary writing, editing, and teaching. During that time, she was also a lecturer at an Anglican seminary in South Africa and managing editor of the Episcopal Curriculum for Youth. She was a caregiver for her father who had Alzheimer’s disease; both of her parents died of Alzheimer-related causes. After her father’s death, Dorothy began an intensive study into the field of aging and spirituality. This led to the writing of Redeeming Dementia (Church Publishing, 2018) with former student Janice Hicks, a scientist whose mother also died of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dorothy is still living into the meaning of the decision she made long ago to accept Jesus as her Savior. The one constant in her life is that she is “sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.”