Meet our Summer Seminarian, Rachel Harber
To the parish of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! I’m Rachel, a recent 2020 Master of Divinity graduate from Virginia Theological Seminary. What a time to enter into the field of ministry! I’m already an unusual case—in the Diocese of Virginia most candidates for ordination complete their 8 week full time parish internship during the summer after their second year of seminary. However, after my second year I spent the summer doing chaplaincy work at Georgetown University Hospital and so am completing my internship post graduation.
Now add on top of that the current circumstances we find ourselves in—pandemic lockdown, not being able to gather in person for worship and discipleship, as well as the turmoil of recent protesting—and this is certainly going to be an internship experience like no other. But that being said, what I bring into this time with St. Michael’s is that you are my first grounds for ministry after completing seminary. Most of my fellow classmates have already taken jobs in parishes, but in my case I am excited to serve you all as my first parish after graduation. I will also be ordained to the deaconate during my time with y’all and look forward to assisting Beth and serving the parish as I learn and grow into this next phase in ministry and service.
Read more from Rachel here.