User:Jmkanary
My Christian life begins earlier than I can remember. I was baptized at about six months old, and raised in a strong Christian family as a Methodist “preacher’s kid.” I prayed to receive Jesus at age 3, and when I was 5 my parents prayed for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit (and prayer language). They also invested heavily in my spiritual formation, with Bible reading and memorization, prayer, etc. In my early teens I struggled with doubts about the existence of God, but eventually became convinced that God is real; a similar struggle with the question of my own salvation led to an experience of “assurance of salvation,” in good Wesleyan fashion! College was a time of significant spiritual growth: I was spurred by friends and mentors to a deeper life of prayer and a new level of openness in relationships. As a senior, my growing desire for rootedness in historic Christianity, as well as for sacramental worship and apostolic succession, led me into the Anglican tradition.
After several years of very active lay ministry, the ongoing exhortation of friends and the prayerful work of a parish discernment team helped me realize that God was calling me to the priesthood. I graduated from Nashotah House with my MDiv in 2011 and was ordained in the Diocese of San Joaquin, where I served for four years as the curate at St. Columba Church. In 2015 I completed my Master of Sacred Theology, also through Nashotah House, with a thesis on the “desert father” Evagrius of Pontus as a model for Spiritual Direction.
Last August, I moved to Waco, Texas, where I am presently pursuing a PhD in English, with a concentration in Religion and Literature. I also serve as the Assisting Priest for Spiritual Direction at Christ Church Anglican, in Waco, and am an active part of this growing church-plant. In addition, I have been a member of the ACNA Liturgy and Common Worship Task Force since January 2015, and currently chair the Hours and Occasional Rites subcommittee.
In late 2013, Bishop Eric asked me to step in as Examining Chaplain for Liturgy. In this role I wrote liturgy examinations, reviewed all the written exams, and participated in oral exams. I also took the lead in overseeing practical examinations in liturgy: a “Dry Mass” for ordinands to the priesthood, and the Daily Office and preparation of the altar for ordinands to the permanent diaconate. Although Liturgy has been a major focus in my service to the diocese and province, my scholarly and personal interests focus especially on Ascetical/Spiritual Theology, as well as Historical Theology and the intersection of Theology and Literature.
