Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Stina's avatar

Thank you for writing this. I would be glad to “talk” with you sometime about the plight of the other manifestation of “retired” clergy, the “retired” vocational deacon, of which I am one. We are even more at the mercy of our bishops as we are the bishop’s people and unable to do supply as the “retired” priest is. We usually have to be invited to serve in the usual manner in a church and then apply to the bishop a year at a time to continue to do so. If a bishop chooses to have their retired deacons out of their hair, well…. I recently had an article published in Diakoneo, the house organ of the Association of Episcopal Deacons which discussed the reimagining of call on retirement (generally work outside of the church) and would be glad to supply a PDF copy of the magazine to you. Still, for those of us who are called to preach our call to congregations and be an example to a congregation beyond the icon status, both of which can be denied to us on retirement, we become invisible after “retirement.”

Expand full comment
Mary Slenski's avatar

Amen. I’m newly pensioned this year. I prefer to use ‘pensioned’ rather than ‘retired.’ I asked my bishop not to write me off. My ministry can still be all I am called and willing to exercise.

As an interim specialist who sometimes had breaks between gigs I was tired of being an unemployed, and therefore, second class citizen of the clerics. At least that’s what it felt like.

Expand full comment
4 more comments...

No posts