Meet our seminarian, Dale Smith! Dale Smith, a postulant for Holy Orders in the Diocese of Virginia, will be joining our community on February 1 to engage in the "field education” portion of his formation for the priesthood. Field education is one of the facets of preparation for the priesthood that allows the postulant to engage in parish life intentionally for the purpose of learning what it is like to be a parish priest and to engage with a parish that is different from the one in which he or she was raised. Dale will be with us most Sundays and certain hours during the week. Some of our folks have already met Dale during his clinical pastoral education work at Cedarfield last fall. See more about Dale in his biography below. Welcome Dale!

Read More About Dale Dale grew up in rural Cumberland County, Virginia, where he was raised in the Methodist Church. He received a B.A. in English from James Madison University, a M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Master of Theological Studies from Union Presbyterian Seminary.  He became an Episcopalian by way of the parish of St. Mark’s, on the Boulevard, where he discerned a call to ordination. As part of his path toward Holy Orders, Dale is currently completing a Certificate in Anglican Studies via a low-residency program at Church Divinity School of the Pacific (an Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, CA), as well as contextual educational experiences. His first such experience took place this past fall at Cedarfield, a continuing care retirement community in the West End, where he interned as a chaplain. His second will take place here at All Saints, where he looks forward to participating in All Saints’ ministries, sharing his passion for Jesus through teaching and preaching, and gaining insight on the ins and outs of Episcopal worship, polity, and parish life.  Before starting this ordination journey, Dale was a member of the Department of English at VCU, where he taught literature and creative writing courses, in addition to advising many students. A longtime resident of Richmond, he lives near Carytown with his husband John, a retired nurse practitioner. They enjoy dinners at The Daily and breakfasts at Joe’s Inn, off-season visits to the Outer Banks, and fondly remember those pre-Covid days when they could plan trips to London.