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.”
thank you for sharing this! and it does sound like a frustrating position to be in. I'd love to see your article, as well.
I wonder if it is possible to re-imagine the role of retired deacons, as well. We are in this space of serving in new ways, and the time just seems ripe for something like this.
Sent the newsletter via email as it is a PDF. Check your spam in case it falls into junk. Deacons are often ignored when clergy are discussed. Perhaps because we are unpaid to a large extent but we have a lot to contribute to the reimagining of church. My article only points one way for “retired” deacons to go but I do resent the fact that “call” is seen as ending with retirement.
I got it, thanks! it's a very good reflection - I encourage you to share it.
I wonder if it's not that deacons are ignored, but that more of them aren't sharing their experiences. I write of being a priest because it's what I am, it's the world I know. You've got the same 'free range' spirit, from a different perspective. I encourage it!
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.
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.”
thank you for sharing this! and it does sound like a frustrating position to be in. I'd love to see your article, as well.
I wonder if it is possible to re-imagine the role of retired deacons, as well. We are in this space of serving in new ways, and the time just seems ripe for something like this.
Sent the newsletter via email as it is a PDF. Check your spam in case it falls into junk. Deacons are often ignored when clergy are discussed. Perhaps because we are unpaid to a large extent but we have a lot to contribute to the reimagining of church. My article only points one way for “retired” deacons to go but I do resent the fact that “call” is seen as ending with retirement.
I got it, thanks! it's a very good reflection - I encourage you to share it.
I wonder if it's not that deacons are ignored, but that more of them aren't sharing their experiences. I write of being a priest because it's what I am, it's the world I know. You've got the same 'free range' spirit, from a different perspective. I encourage it!
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.
thank you for sharing this, and I’m sorry to hear it.
As a Free Range Priest, I believe we can - and are - reimagining ministry, and putting an end to this kind of labeling/ranking.