WCM Ordained

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WCM: THE PATH TO ORDINATION

For a general overview of the ordination process, visit our Ordination Process webpage HERE.

Discernment

The first step in the ordination process is discernment of the ministry to which God calls a person: layperson, deacon, or priest. The Commission on Ministry (COM), a diocesan body that helps in the discernment of ministry, has written a document that describes discernment, details what is expected in those to be ordained (and what they can and cannot expect), and outlines the ordination process. The document is "Guidelines for the Discernment of Ministry." Additional information about discernment can be found on the "Discernment for Ministry" page.

Insight Space

Insight Space is the title of the introduction to formation class. This is a required class for all who are going on the ordination track.

It is open to anyone in a local congregational discernment process that might lead to ordination (deacon or priest). Those applying must have the endorsement of their local congregation's clergy-in-charge or, if there is currently no settled resident clergy-in-charge, the senior/bishop's warden. Those looking to a possible path for ordination (see: Ordination Process) must be engaged with their local congregational Discernment Committee (but they do not need to have already received the approval/recommendation of the vestry/bishop's committee and priest-in-charge for nomination for ordination).

Insight Space is required for anyone hoping to be admitted as a Postulant of this Diocese for ordination, and hoping to be admitted for formation leading to ordination through Waiolaihuiʻia or to a seminary.

The group will meet by Zoom or, in some cases, in person. There will be a minimum of 4 sessions, 3 hours each. Each session will include a focused study of the Gospel and a time for reflection on "The Way of Love" to aid discernment.

There is no cost to participate in Insight Space except for the purchase of the required books. The required books are:

A good study Bible: The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha (New Revised Standard Version) or The Common English Bible (CEB) Study Bible with Apocrypha
The Book of Common Prayer, 1979
(TBD) book on the Gospel
Seven Little Books of Guidance published by the Church Publishing Company on "The Way of Love" (Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, and Rest).

To apply for Insight Space, please contact Nani Carroll for an application HERE.

Applying to Waiolaihui'ia/Iona Collaborative

In order to apply, individuals should have met the following requirements:

Completed "Introduction to Formation" year (see Insight Space above)
Bachelors degree (or the equivalent)
Be a Nominee in the Diocese of Hawai'i
Proficiency in English, writing and speaking, at college level

Acceptance into Waiolaihui'ia confirms the student's commitment to ongoing discernment as they continue to understand God's call. Ordination is not guaranteed upon acceptance to or completion of the program. Students should expect to graduate from the program with a stronger understanding of their unique ministry and the direction they will pursue in fulfillment of their call.

Cost is $2,000 per year to the students; the sponsoring congregation is expected to bear a portion of this cost.

The application to Waiolaihui'ia can be found HERE.

Learning - The Program

The program is structured to enable people with full-time jobs to participate in training one weekend a month for three years. The program uses the curriculum designed by The Iona Collaborative at Seminary of the Southwest (Austin, TX). Instruction includes video lectures, reading assignments, on-site discussion and lectures by local instructors. The curriculum includes: Bible, Church History, Theology and Ethics, Anglican Studies, Homiletics, Liturgy and Music, Pastoral Ministry and Offices, Spiritual Practices, Theory and Practice of Ministry, Congregational Life and Leadership, and Multicultural Engagement.

Students will participate in a Zoom program at one of the Iona Collaborative programs.

The demands of the program are rigorous and while sessions are once a month, students should expect to fulfill reading and essay assignments between meeting times. Student work is evaluated using measurements of "does not/meets/exceeds expectations." All exams and related evaluations are filed in the Bishop's office and are available to the Bishop, Commission of Minnistry and Standing Committee.

Cultural Formation
Students will be a part of the cohort group that meets every other month. The cohort group will meet to establish relationships. In addition, students learn about cultures, values, and develop community.

Pastoral Care Education
In 2018, the program added Pastoral Care education to the overall training. While this training is similar to traditional Clinical Pastoral Education, it allows more flexibility to accommodate the schedules of bi-vocational students. Students will have 100 contact hours at a local site and they will choose from a broad range of settings in which to practice pastoral care. Settings may be in a nursing home, hospice care, prison, retirement home, or other appropriate site. Pastoral Care education will be facilitated by the Iona Collaborative at The Seminary of the Southwest. Sessions will be conducted via Zoom videoconferencing, allowing the instructor to be virtually present.

Ordination

When the Candidate has reached a level of sufficient formation (though recognizing that formation is ongoing, even after ordination), the Candidate applies for Ordination. There will be meetings with the Bishop, COM and the Standing Committee. The COM must verify that the person is sufficiently prepared in the areas of competency required by the Canons of The Episcopal Church. These are different for Deacons and for Priests. If a person is called to the Priesthood, he or she will be ordained first to the transitional diaconate for at least six months.

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GRADUATES OF WCM!

Inaugural Class of 2015

In October 2015, during the Opening Eucharist for the 47th Annual Meeting of Convention, the first four graduates of the Waiolaihui'ia program were ordained to the Transitional Diaconate in St. Alban's Chapel at 'Iolani School.

Our inaugural graduates are: Phyllis Mahi Beimes, Malcolm Keleawe Hee, Paul Nahoa Lucas, and John Hau'oli Tomoso. Of special note is that all four are of native Hawaiian ancestry, and Beimes is the first woman of Hawaiian ancestry to be ordained in The Episcopal Church.

After serving in churches around the Diocese for at least six months, all four were ordained into the Priesthood in 2016 and currently serve in churches around the Diocese.

(Photos by S. Nishioka from the 47th Annual Meeting of Convention)

Class of 2017

The Class of 2017, are: Ha'aheo Guanson, Mark Haworth, Fane Lino and Preston Lentz.

On June 11, 2018, three WCM graduates were ordained to the Transitional Diaconate by Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick, at The Cathedral of St. Andrew, Honolulu. They were joined by three others (Christopher Bridges, Jasmine Bostock, and Alison Donahue) who obtained their MDiv at residential seminaries on the mainland.

All six have since been ordained into the Presbyterate and are serving in churches around the Diocese. To read about our six newest priests that appeared in an E-Chronicle article, click HERE.

(Photos by S. Nishioka)