Meet Our New Diaconate Postulants
September 16, 2015

John Boyd

John Boyd is a 13 year member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge.  He resides in Baton Rouge with his wife Irene.  He has three children, Ian (25), Sarah (22) and Alexis (20).  He also is the proud grandfather to Isibealla (almost 3).  While at Trinity, John has been active in many ministries (LEM, Usher, Outreach Committee Chairman, Stephen’s Minister, EFM, School of Ministry, etc.).  While chairing the Outreach Committee he has been involved with the Youth Oasis, Trafficking Hope, Holy Grill and many other activities.
John has felt a call to the diaconate for several years and has been actively pursuing that calling for the last few years.  He is now ready to embark on the next step of his journey with formation education beginning in September at Iona in Mississippi.  There are many aspects of the formation process that John is looking forward to, a deeper education in the study of Jesus and the Episcopal Church, the personal growth that will come with learning new things and meeting new people and ultimately the skills and growth necessary to serve Jesus, the Episcopal Diocese, and of course the people that he meets along the way in a more intimate and beneficial way.

Joey Clavijo

Joseph Clavijo (Joey) is a member of St Georges Episcopal Church in New Orleans. He is a member of the choir, leads Sunday morning prayer, and serves as acolyte, altar guild, and as a member of the Bible study group. He works with the Dragon Café, a feeding ministry of St Georges. Joey has served as chair of the stewardship team for several years.
Outside the doors of the church, Joey serves as Eucharistic minister to the sick, and participates in monthly services at Poydras Home. He works with Grace at the Green Light, another homeless outreach. He works with Episcopal Relief and Development, and is a member of the diocesan stewardship consulting team and has recently served with the assessment support team.
“As I enter formation, I most look forward to learning. Being open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, who speaks to me in prayer and in community with others I am privileged to join on this journey”.

You belong. You are children of God. No exceptions.

Bishop Duckworth’s sermon called us to remember the UpStairs Lounge fire in the French Quarter, a violent act of deadly arson that killed 32 gay men in nineteen minutes. In the aftermath, no church in the city would bury the dead. The exception was St. George’s Episcopal Church. Its rector, the Rev. Bill Richardson, did what he knew Jesus called him to do — he buried those men. He did so not without cost: he faced active condemnation from the larger community, but also from within his own congregation and from within our own diocese.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of two pivotal resolutions from the 1976 General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Resolution 1976-A069 and Resolution 1976-A071 declared that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church,” and that LGBTQ+ persons “are entitled to equal protection of the laws with all other citizens.” While we can celebrate many clear advancements for the full inclusion of our LGBTQ+ community in church and community life, the work is ongoing.

It has not always been a straight path. The church is human, and humans stumble. But consider how far we have traveled: from a church being rebuked for praying over the dead, to bishops wearing rainbow stoles given as gifts by LGBTQ+ Episcopalians at ordination. From closed communion tables to fully open sacramental life. From whispered exclusion to the joyful, public, Spirit-filled worship we offer tonight.

In our own Diocese of Louisiana, the transformation has been remarkable. Inclusive Louisiana, our network of LGBTQ+ Episcopalians and their allies, has been a light in this region for years — marching in Pride parades, offering pastoral care, and equipping congregations to proclaim God’s all-inclusive love. And here at St. Anna’s, you have led the way: becoming the first congregation in this diocese to celebrate same-sex marriage.

Bishop Duckworth’s conclusion made plain that actively creating a joyfully inclusive church is what we are called to do:

Not someday. Not when things are more comfortable. Not when the political climate improves. Today. The work of liberation is always a present-tense call.”

To speak that truth in this moment is not a partisan act. It is an act of Christian faithfulness. It is what prophets do. It is what the Church, at its best, has always done — even when it cost us something.

We serve a God who said: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” That includes everyone. Everyone is a child of God.

The Rt. Rev. Shannon Rogers Duckworth

Bishop Duckworth offered the Prayer for Travelers from the Book of Common Prayer for Deacon Luigi, who is relocating to Chicago. His contributions to Inclusive Louisiana, St. Anna’s, the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, and the broader community have been immeasurable. We are grateful for all he has given us, and we trust that though he leaves us physically, what he has created here will continue to grow.

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