This Sunday at Saint Paul's

30 September 2020

Greetings St. Paul’s Lake of the Isles! As your newly assigned deacon I would like to take a few moments to share with you a little about myself, my family and my excitement to be joining your vibrant faith community.

So, first things first, my name is Janet MacNally, I come from an Episcopalian family (my Uncle and Aunt Jim and Mary Meeker were members of St. Paul’s) and grew up across the river at St. Paul’s on the Hill. I was ordained to the diaconate in 2007 by then Bishop Jelinek. I have been married to Bill (or often referred to as Mac) for forty-seven years. Bill is what we lovingly refer to as a recovering hospital administrator (Allina) and in his retirement has served the Episcopal Church in Minnesota most notably as an active board member with Episcopal Community Services and currently finishing a two term position on the ECMN Board of Trustees.

We are the parents of two adult children. Elizabeth, our son-in-law Craig and three-year-old grandson Calvin live in south Minneapolis. Elizabeth is my right brained child and currently is the building manager/production stage manager for Pillsbury House Theatre. Our son Andrew, daughter-in-law Kate and our granddaughters Rowan 5 and Eve almost 3 live in Winnetka, Illinois. Andrew is my left brain child and is an attorney with Bartlet-Beck in Chicago.

My background is in education with degrees in Speech, Theatre and Communication Arts and English. I found myself able to continue on until just recently the things that led to my reasons for majoring in those areas to begin with, coaching high school speech and congressional debate and directing high school theatre.

My most recent position was at Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School. I have often been asked when I will be ordained to the priesthood or even why did I quit at the order of deacon. The answer to both of those questions is the same. When in discernment for Holy Orders I kept coming back to my passion and my strong commitment that the church is called into the community to fulfill the promises we made and have renewed at Holy Baptism.

The role of the deacon within the faith community is directly tied to the deacon’s work beyond the doors of the church but I do not go alone, I go with all of you. The Association for Episcopal Deacons writes “Deacons do not nor cannot ‘do’ diakonia on behalf of the baptized, but they help to lead all people, including the ordained, into the servant ministry of all believers which is the essence of our baptismal covenant.” When I was told, not once but by everyone asked, that St. Paul’s was a vibrant community with a deep commitment to the social justice issues and ministries that we, in the middle of a global pandemic and racial unrest are facing, I knew that the Holy Spirit had indeed called me to be with you.

In addition to my passion for work outside the doors of the church, I have a passion for the work or liturgy that goes on inside our doors that helps to send us forth fed and renewed each week. I hold a MA degree in Christian Liturgy from Sarum College, Salisbury, England (validated by the University of Winchester) which has given me a deeper insight into how our prayer and worship shape us as a people who go forth prepared to walk in the way of love, the way of Jesus in the world.

I am excited to start! There is much to do during this pandemic, even if a great deal of it is virtual. I look forward to getting to know all of you over the course of the ensuing months and am enthusiastic about where we will go and what we can accomplish together as a people of faith.

In Christ’s love, Deacon Janet