Welcoming a Wilmington Treasure: The Rev. Catherine Powell

Welcoming a Wilmington Treasure:

The Reverend Catherine Powell

It is a pleasure and privilege to announce that we will welcome the Rev. Catherine Powell as a very part-time assisting priest (10-15 hours/week) at St. Andrew’s On-the-Sound in mid-August. Our interim rector, Gary Jones, could not be happier. When we learned of Catherine’s availability, vestry members determined that this very part-time position fit within the church’s budget nicely. Gary remarked, “I met Catherine years ago, when she was rector of Church of the Servant here in Wilmington. I have followed her ministry with admiration for some time, and I know her presence here will be a blessing to all.”

Catherine is an experienced priest whose passions and expertise include children’s spirituality and parish community engagement (outreach) of parish churches.

Caroline Johnson, our beloved director of children’s ministries, is thrilled that she will have Catherine as a colleague and mentor. “The same week our church read about the humble mustard seed and new life in Christ, Gary arrived, and I met Catherine Powell for the first time,” Caroline said. “This feels like a wonderful time of growth and blessing for us, and I am overjoyed to have my hands in the rich, fertile soil alongside both Gary and Catherine. I am excited to learn and grow during this precious time.”

Tending to the spiritual lives of children is already a priority at St. Andrew’s, and Catherine Powell will join an already fabulous team: Caroline Johnson, Stephanie Rieman (youth), and Tracy Hanson (preschool). Outreach ministries are also a priority, which is music to Catherine’s ears, and she looks forward to helping parishioners discern how our church can be even more engaged in the larger community.

In more than 40 years of ordained ministry, Catherine has served parishes in the dioceses of Washington (DC), Massachusetts, North Carolina, and East Carolina, and served as chaplain at two Episcopal Schools (Washington Episcopal School and National Cathedral School). Catherine has also directed or helped staff more than 20 years of Episcopal summer camps.

Catherine wrote curriculum for Living the Good News (a lectionary-based curriculum) as well as several Vacation Bible School programs, and she is an esteemed trainer in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a beautiful way of nurturing the spiritual lives of children.

Former dean of this deanery, member of the Executive Council for East Carolina, and preaching mentor, Catherine is a humble and highly regarded priest. Catherine has two adult daughters, lives in downtown Wilmington with her two dogs, does a little gardening, and practices Cheng Man Ch’ing style tai chi.