Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I am delighted to let you know that the Rev. Sean Lanigan will be joining the staff of St. Peter’s as Associate Rector, beginning Nov. 29, the first Sunday of Advent.
Sean is a graduate of Brown University (BA), Yale Divinity School (M.Div.), and the General Theological Seminary (Diploma of Anglican Studies). He was ordained two years ago and has since worked in Long Beach, California, where he founded and led a young adult faith community called Holy Ground and an interfaith campus ministry at Cal. State Long Beach. Holy Ground is an inclusive and diverse community of 20’s and 30’s who have either never been to church or who had left church. For this innovative work in ministry Sean received a fellowship from the Beatitudes Society. Before entering ordained ministry Sean taught English at the high school and community college level as well as serving as an academic advisor at Bennington College. He will be moving to the Philadelphia area in late November (if anyone has a lead on a 2-bedroom apartment let me know!).
Sean will join me in leading worship, preaching, teaching, and doing pastoral care. He will have specific responsibility for our Outreach/Service ministries as well as for Christian Formation/Education for all ages.
Members of the Search Committee who joined me in discernment: Caroline West, Ben Houck, Lathrop Nelson, and Cordelia Biddle, occasionally joined by Kat Dunne, Barbara Tobin, and Lisa Gaidanowicz, were blessed to have several extremely capable candidates. We were impressed by Sean’s warmth, humor, creativity, entrepreneurial leadership, and passion for inviting people into lives of committed discipleship.
I am greatly looking forward to working with Sean as a colleague in ministry and I know you join me in welcoming him to Philadelphia and to St. Peter’s, and in holding him in prayer in the meantime.
Peace,
The Rev. Claire Nevin-Field, Rector
A Message from the Rev. Sean Lanigan
Dear People of St. Peters,
Greetings to you from Long Beach, California! I’m so excited to begin serving among you this coming Advent. I truly can’t wait to learn your names, hear your stories, and join you in doing Jesus’ work in Philadelphia. During my interactions with a number of you during my interview process, I discovered that you are a people with a keen sense of mission, and I’m particularly looking forward to collaborating with you to share more of God’s love, hope, and peace in Philadelphia and beyond. I’m also looking forward to learning and growing in faith together: encouraging one another into pathways of transformation that will expand both our knowledge of God and our love of God (and neighbor) across the generations. It’s going to be a lot of fun to share in the ministries of Outreach and Christian Formation with all of you!
As I prepare to make my transition to Philadelphia, I ask that you pray for me. I will also be continuously praying for you. I’m excited to discover what God has in store for us as we get to know one another more deeply in the coming months. Thank you so much for inviting me to join St. Peter’s on your journey, and see you soon!
With anticipation,
Sean
The people of St. Peter’s Church have made an extraordinary choice in selecting Sean as your Associate Rector. He is a wonderful leader and spiritual guide – he makes the achievement of a personal relationship with God seem possible for each of us. Selfishly, I am delighted that he’s returning to the East – now he’ll be only a train ride away for a visit.:-)
God’s blessings on you all and best wishes for the next part of your journey together.
Patricia
Thank you for your kind words!