Transition News

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord,

plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. ~Jeremiah 29:11

Holy Cross Welcomes the Rev. Dorian Del Priore

Dear Holy Cross Family,

On behalf of the vestry, I am delighted to share this update with you: Holy Cross is excited to welcome the Rev. Canon Dorian Del Priore as our new priest in charge* starting on February 1.

Dorian+ graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2014 and served as the associate rector for children, youth, and family ministries at St. Peter’s in Greenville from 2014 to 2017. Since then, he has been the canon catechist and missioner at Trinity Cathedral in Columbia, where he has had oversight of the cathedral’s mission and outreach along with youth, children, and young adult ministries. His focus has been on cultivating lay leadership and developing a collaborative culture. Dorian+ has also served in numerous leadership roles across the church, currently serving on the Diocesan Commission on Ministry and the Board of Trustees for The Bishop Gravatt Camp and Conference Center in Aiken. 

Dorian+ and his wife, Lauren, have two children: Jordan (22) and Brynn (17). Jordan will graduate from the University of South Carolina in May, and Brynn will graduate from Dreher High School in June. They also have three Great Danes and two tabby cats. Lauren is originally from Colorado Springs, CO, and works as a radiologic technologist. A UofSC graduate, Dorian+ is a native South Carolinian, born and raised in Columbia, and has had a varied career in swimming, residential construction and inspections, and youth ministry. 

If you would like to welcome Dorian+ and his family, please email them at rev.dorian@gmail.com.

We look forward to beginning our mutual ministry with Dorian+ in February. In January, Erin+ will continue to lead our church services, along with the Rev. Bill Lutz, who will be serving as our supply priest. 

I’d also like to take a moment to thank our search committee for their hard work and for helping all of us think more deeply about Holy Cross and what it means to be a part of this family. We have learned a great deal about where we are and where we want to go. Their work over the past 10 months and their intentional discernment has led us to where we are today, and the vestry is very grateful for each of them.

We are also thankful for all of you who participated in any way—from participating in the parish survey and following our transition updates to asking us all the hard questions. As always, please feel free to contact me at sharonwputman@cs.com if you have any questions as we move forward.

Thank you for your continued faithfulness throughout our search process and for your willingness to stay engaged in the life of Holy Cross. I look forward to all that God has in store for us.

Sincerely,

Sharon James, Holy Cross senior warden

To view a video greeting from Dorian+, click on the image below.

The Lord, your God, is in your midst …. He will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

~Zephaniah 3:17

*In a priest-in-charge model, a significant period of time is devoted to strategic planning, visioning, and intentional community development. This approach can and often does lead to a permanent rectorship. After an initial two-year period of relationship-building, congregational development, and mutual discernment, the vestry can invite the priest-in-charge to become the rector. At that time, the focus shifts to setting short-term and long-term goals and strategies for Holy Cross.