I am excited to share the news that we have hired a new clergyperson for Saint Anne’s.
The Rev. Hannah Kelly will be our new curate beginning at the end of March. Hannah was ordained as a transitional deacon this past December. She graduated from Candler School of Theology with our former seminarian Will Drosos. Some of you may not be familiar with the title curate. It is from a Latin word that means someone who is entrusted with the care of something. In this case she will care for the people of Saint Anne’s. In the Episcopal Church, the term curate is used to designate the first year of a newly ordained person’s work in parish ministry. On Hannah’s one-year anniversary she will transition to being our associate rector.
At Saint Anne’s, Hannah will join me and our seminarians in the liturgy, celebrating the sacraments, preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. Hannah will exercise leadership in pastoral care, an area of ministry for which she is passionate. She will also work with Tabi and be a liaison with the Day School to help with chapel services. Hannah will be a great asset to the Saint Anne’s Community.
When I first interviewed Hannah one of her first questions was if there was a possibility to stay for a long season with us to build relationships and community. Like pastoral care, Hannah is passionate about creating community. My prayer is that she will spend a long time caring for you. In the next few weeks, we will send information about a reception to welcome her to the parish. Please read her introduction below.
Buddy+
A note from our new curate
Hello everyone! I am looking forward to meeting you all so soon. While I hope that we all get the chance to share our personal histories with each other face-to-face, I thought I would provide a little backstory before my start date so y’all can get a sense of who is coming into your community.
I was born and raised in Atlanta and grew up attending worship and acolyting at the Cathedral of St. Philip. It was actually while serving at a wedding at the Cathedral when I first experienced my call to ministry. Unsure of where that call would take me, I attended Duke University, where I double majored in English and computer science and minored in creative writing. Between classes and on the weekends, I found a home in the Episcopal Center at Duke. It was through conversations and mentorship at the Episcopal Center that I decided to attend seminary after graduation to pursue my dream of parish ministry.
While attending Candler School of Theology (at Emory University), I lived in an Episcopal formation community and was seminarian at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church.
I particularly enjoyed classes about Episcopal Church history and Anglican theology, and couldn’t believe something as pleasurable as reading the Bible counted as doing homework! I spent my summers in seminary providing pastoral care as a chaplain in the hospital. This work is what led me to taking on a position as a chaplain at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta after graduation from seminary. At Children’s, I provide spiritual and emotional support to cardiac patients in the heart center, trauma patients in the emergency room, as well as patients and families in crisis throughout the hospital.
Inside and outside of the hospital, pastoral care is so important to me. I have been fortunate to serve at Church of the Common Ground for the past two years, and have developed deep relationships with many members there. I have had the pleasure of meeting a few Saint Anne’s parishioners visiting that community, and I am feeling hopeful about doing outreach together in the future!
I was ordained a transitional deacon in December and am beyond excited to get to know the community of Saint Anne’s. I love reading, going on walks, listening to country music, playing card games, watching football and basketball, and being shown photos of beloved pets. Please let me know what your favorite teams are, what your pets names are, and what kinds of things you enjoy doing. I want to be someone who celebrates your birthday, offers you support before a stressful meeting, and creates space for you to think about how God is working in your life. I’m looking forward to worshiping together, deepening our relationships with God and being in community with one another. I truly love the church and am bursting with excitement thinking about the years ahead.
My first Sunday at Saint Anne’s will be on March 26. See you soon!
The Rev. Hannah Kelly