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The Very Rev. Judith A. Sullivan, Dean of the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, is very pleased to announce that the Rev. Sarah E. Hedgis has joined the Cathedral staff as Associate Priest for Congregational Life.

Sarah has been a member of the Diocese of Pennsylvania since 2012. She was ordained to the diaconate in this very Cathedral in June 2015 and to the priesthood in January 2016. 

A native of Georgia, Sarah earned her Bachelor's degree in Christianity/Women's and Gender Studies from Mercer University and a Master of Divinity from Emory University's Candler School of Theology. She also completed a Diploma in Anglican Studies from the General Theological Seminary in New York City.

Sarah previously served at St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, a vibrant mission church in Northeast Philadelphia, as well as on diocesan staff as the Director of the Episcopal Mission Center (EMC), a diocesan program that seeks to instill missional living. Sarah also served on the Bishop Search and Nominating Committee for our diocese last year.  

One of Sarah's driving questions is, "How do we live out God's mission, together?" It's a big question! And one she eagerly brings to her ministry at the Cathedral, with its focus on the life of the growing Cathedral congregation. What does it mean to live together in Christian community in the 21st century? How do we do so in ways that are authentic and meaningful, not only to our lives but the lives of our neighbors and other communities? Sarah looks forward to exploring and, more importantly, living out these questions with this Cathedral family. 

Sarah lives in West Philadelphia, where she loves lounging in Clark Park and biking around the Woodlands. She is engaged (just this month!) to Roger Kligerman, and the proud owner of a quirky dog named Summah. She enjoys cooking, running, the Psalms, and vowing to learn to knit one day. 

Welcome, Sarah! 

Contact Information

Email:   [email protected]

Phone: (215) 386-0234, ext. 19

 

 

United Thank Offering videos feature work of grant recipient The Joel Nafuma Refugee Center

Two new videos feature the work of a $22,800 United Thank Offering grant at an international refugee center in 2015.

The first video features The Joel Nafuma Refugee Center, located in St. Paul's Within the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome, Italy.  The United Thank Offering Grant paved the way for the hiring of staff, the purchasing of computer equipment, which allowed the expansion of services.

The second video, Rakin: A Refugee's Story, is a poignant, heart-rending profile of an Afghan refugee being assisted at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center.

The videos, produced by the Episcopal Church, are available here.

The grant was a direct result of the generosity of the hundreds who contributed and participated in the annual United Thank Offering ingathering, and is just one example of the grants awarded to support work with refugees.  In 2015, United Thank Offering raised $89,045.20 through the Advent Challenge which supported Episcopal Migration Ministries in opening two new resettlement locations and offering mental health services through all of the resettlement offices.

"The generosity of so many has manifested into Christian action in helping refugees who are seeking a better life, through the Joel Nafuma Center," noted the Rev. Heather Melton, Missioner for the United Thank Offering. "The first video offers a glimpse into the dedication and work of the center, and the second provides an opportunity to meet and learn the story of Rakin, one of the refugees."

The United Thank Offering is a ministry to promote thankfulness and mission in the whole Church. Known worldwide as UTO, the United Thank Offering awards grants for projects that address human needs and help alleviate poverty, both domestically and internationally in the Episcopal Church.

Episcopal Migration Ministries is the refugee resettlement program of the Episcopal Church. Working in partnership with 30 local resettlement offices and a host of diocesan and parish partners, volunteers, and community supporters, each year Episcopal Migration Ministries resettles more than 5,000 men, women, and children fleeing violence, persecution, and conflict. Through this ministry of welcome, refugees' journeys of fear and flight are over, and their journeys of hope and new life begin. 

For more information contact Melton at [email protected].

Have you ever considered a formal study of the things which inform your baptismal covenant?  Many EfM seminar groups will be reforming or starting in the fall and now is the time for you to consider if this program is for you.  The current texts are portrayed in the attached link.