Today was a happy day for our church, St. Thomas the Apostle in Hollywood.  Two of our parishioners, Shireen Baker and Steve DeMuth, were ordained as deacons; in six months, they will become Episcopal priests.  They were 2 of the 11 people who were ordained today downtown at St. John’s Cathedral with Jon Bruno, Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, along with Mary Glasspool, Suffragan Bishop, celebrating the Mass.  We are very proud of all of these new deacons, but we know Shireen and Steve well since they are from St. Thomas the Apostle.  They have had to go through a year of discernment with a church committee, then be approved by the Diocese to go to seminary, then attend seminary for three years, and then after much assessment and paperwork, they finally have arrived at this day.  If nothing untoward happens in the next six months, then they will finally be ordained as Episcopal priests.

We at St. Thomas are exceedingly proud of and pleased for Shireen and Steve.  They will be fine deacons, then priests.  They already are fine people.

Shireen with 2 Cohorts

St. John’s Cathedral with Bishops Bruno and Glasspool et al.  Shireen is 1st on the left

Steve – 2nd on the right

Here is Steve with 3 of his Cohorts

This is Sherry, Shireen’s niece, who was asked by Bishop Bruno to join him at the altar

Sherry taking a rest

Steve and Shireen administering Holy Communion

Steve with John Buckley, one of St. Thomas’s parishioners

The Beginning of the Mass