We were pleased to announce today during our service that Brian Petersen will be appointed our interim Clergy-in-Charge. As many of you are aware Holy Cross sponsored Brian for ordination and he is currently finishing his studies at
Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, CA. Brian also holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to being received in the Episcopal Church in 2012, he served in ministry leadership positions in several different denominations, including as a church planter in Portland, Oregon and New York, New York, working primarily with homeless youth and other marginalized groups.
Brian's heart is for missions, new ministries, and reaching out to those who might not feel comfortable in church. Brian is also a veteran of the Marine Corps, and currently works as an IT project manager in the software industry. Brian has been a member of Holy Cross since 2016 and began his process of discernment for ordination in 2018. It is highly unusual for someone who was raised up for ordination to be placed in their home church and we are blessed with this gift of Brian's ministry at this time. Brian is joined in ministry by his wife Kelly, they have been married for 23 years and they have 3 children – Luke, Abigail, and Max (two of whom were baptized at Holy Cross!) and they currently live in Murrieta. In his spare time, Brian loves to coach softball, play guitar, surf, and hike.
Brian will be ordained a transitional deacon (God willing and the people consenting) on Saturday December 18th, here at Holy Cross - so save the date! Six months later, in June (God willing and the people consenting) he will be ordained into the Priesthood. While he is a transitional deacon we will also have supply clergy supporting us so that we may continue with Eucharist each Sunday.
Brian must be ordained first before he begins with us and he also needs to study for and complete his General Ordination Exam's (January 3rd - 6th) - please keep Brian in your prayers. His first service with us will be Christmas Eve and then he will begin on a regular PT basis January 16, 2022, I will share more details in the coming weeks. Until his start date we will welcome the Rev. Susan Astarita as our supply clergy. Mtr. Susan will join us next Sunday.
As I promised in Friday's email, below you will find the recording or our session with Bishop Susan this morning following worship - thank you to Jack Cumming for recording the session. Thank you to all who attended in person. And, thank you to Bishop Susan for her support. I encourage you to watch the video, you will likely hear answers to questions you may have. Please do not hesitate reaching out to me at seniorwarden@holycrosscarlsbad.org or through the church office (number below) if you have questions or would like to chat.
May the Lord’s blessing fall on you and our parish anew. Keep the faith! We will get through this period of our journey. With prayers for and thanksgiving for each of you.
Karen Sanchez
Sr. Warden
MESSAGE FROM BRIAN
Dear people of Holy Cross,
It is with great honor and excitement that I have accepted the call to serve as your interim clergy leader following my ordination to the transitional diaconate on December 18th! It’s not often that one is given such an opportunity to come back to serve in one’s sponsoring parish, and I am so thankful to our Bishop and our Bishop’s Committee for their openness to God’s timing in this case. Holy Cross has been a spiritual home and a place of such support and love for myself and my family for many years now. It is a place where I have been able to learn much about discerning my own faith journey, and as your (soon-to-be) clergy-in-charge I hope to be able to return the favor to this community with God’s help.
I realize that this is a time of great change and uncertainly in the life of Holy Cross. I have been involved in some of the tough and at times painful decisions that had to be made in the recent past, and I share in your grief over the things that have been lost. At the same time, I remain hopeful for several different reasons. First and most of all, I know that the God we serve will remain faithful, and that God’s word that goes forth will not return empty (Isa. 55:11). Secondly, as a member of Holy Cross I have gotten to know the true heart and soul of this community – that this is a community of resilience, creativity, and flexibility, and is a place where open minds, open arms is not just a slogan but a way of being. It is a place where we live our message with a heart that is bold and contagious, and it is this very heart that will continue to sustain Holy Cross through this chapter in its journey. And so I am both hopeful and excited to be able to walk alongside you into this chapter, where the path may be uncertain, but with the Holy Spirit as our guide, we know that our footing is secure. This will be a homecoming for me – but also the beginning of a whole new journey for all of us. So let’s travel together into God’s future for Holy Cross, which will be more than we could ever ask or imagine!
Blessings,
Brian Petersen
