Leighann Adelizzi ’16, Chloe Kinzig ’14: Tim Gavin, Lower School Chaplain, head Varsity Girls’ Cross Country coach, and former Upper School religion teacher was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral on Saturday morning, January 12.
Gavin and four other Ordinates were ordained together by a Bishop in a special ceremony. When the ordinates were presented to the Bishop, Gavin was accompanied by Reverend James Squire, Upper School Chaplain, among others, as one of Gavin’s four presenters. The Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Philadelphia then consecrated Gavin and his four fellow ordinates into priesthood.
“I felt great as I processed into the Cathedral on the day of ordination,” Gavin described. “Joyce, my wife, and my two sons along with my best friends were inside waiting. I was being presented by Reverend Squire and three other of my closest friends. I felt supported. I also felt liberated to have finally reached this point.”
Gavin “felt a calling from God for some time,” which led him to pursue priesthood. “I would say by my late thirties I became more serious about making a commitment to the church.”
“Finally I realized that becoming a priest was one way to discovering the self. In a sense I was taking the steps to become who and what I was supposed to be.”
After his high school graduation, Gavin gained admission to a Roman Catholic religious order. However, after he was accepted into the novitiate, he withdrew from the order to attend college.
In 1988, Gavin began his career at the Episcopal Academy. At that time, he had a wife and child, yet he “still felt the pull toward the priesthood.” Despite the impossibility of becoming a Roman Catholic priest, “the call wouldn’t subside.”
Gavin recalled, “I realized that I had more to give and that the best way for me personally to give more was through the priesthood.”
Turning to the Episcopal Church, Gavin entered divinity school as a part-time student and began the process to become ordained. This demanding undertaking took him approximately six and half years to complete.
The ordination process includes two tracks that run in parallel: the diocesan and the academic. Gavin remarked that he “loved the academic side of things: studying Greek and Hebrew along with scripture, history, systematic theology and other courses with fancy names and titles.”
However, the diocesan track carried more uncertainty for him. Gavin noted that it concerned him “that at any time during the process regardless of the years one has committed to it, one can be asked to leave.”
The diocesan track included a wide variety of activities for Gavin to complete, including “psychological testing, working in a hospital setting in order to accumulate 400 hours of clinical pastoral counseling, interviewing with the Commission of Ministry, meetings with the bishop, and completing many forms and questionnaires.”
Afterwards, Gavin took the General Ordination Exam, consisting of seven essay questions administered over a four-day period. Students are allotted three and a half hours to complete each question.
However, this was not Gavin’s first ordination. In the Episcopal Church, one must first be ordained as a deacon and then he may be ordained into the priesthood. Father Gavin’s ordination as a deacon occurred June 9, 2012, while his more recent ordination as a priest was on January 12, 2013.
In addition to his continued participation at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gavin is also very involved with and dedicated to his partnership with St. Marc’s School in Haiti, through which he seeks to “turn strangers into neighbors” by creating lasting relationships with the people and students.
Gavin has plans to integrate his efforts in Haiti with his new priesthood position. Gavin noted, “I hope that the partnership that EA and St. Marc’s can grow to the point where St. Marc’s has the infrastructure it needs to be a successful school. I also hope to help or persuade The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania to create a number of partnerships with the schools and churches in the Diocese of Haiti.”
“Finally I realized that becoming a priest was one way to discovering the self. In a sense I was taking the steps to become who and what I was supposed to be.”
After his high school graduation, Gavin gained admission to a Roman Catholic religious order. However, after he was accepted into the novitiate, he withdrew from the order to attend college.
In 1988, Gavin began his career at the Episcopal Academy. At that time, he had a wife and child, yet he “still felt the pull toward the priesthood.” Despite the impossibility of becoming a Roman Catholic priest, “the call wouldn’t subside.”
Gavin recalled, “I realized that I had more to give and that the best way for me personally to give more was through the priesthood.”
Turning to the Episcopal Church, Gavin entered divinity school as a part-time student and began the process to become ordained. This demanding undertaking took him approximately six and half years to complete.
The ordination process includes two tracks that run in parallel: the diocesan and the academic. Gavin remarked that he “loved the academic side of things: studying Greek and Hebrew along with scripture, history, systematic theology and other courses with fancy names and titles.”
However, the diocesan track carried more uncertainty for him. Gavin noted that it concerned him “that at any time during the process regardless of the years one has committed to it, one can be asked to leave.”
The diocesan track included a wide variety of activities for Gavin to complete, including “psychological testing, working in a hospital setting in order to accumulate 400 hours of clinical pastoral counseling, interviewing with the Commission of Ministry, meetings with the bishop, and completing many forms and questionnaires.”
Afterwards, Gavin took the General Ordination Exam, consisting of seven essay questions administered over a four-day period. Students are allotted three and a half hours to complete each question.
However, this was not Gavin’s first ordination. In the Episcopal Church, one must first be ordained as a deacon and then he may be ordained into the priesthood. Father Gavin’s ordination as a deacon occurred June 9, 2012, while his more recent ordination as a priest was on January 12, 2013.
In addition to his continued participation at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gavin is also very involved with and dedicated to his partnership with St. Marc’s School in Haiti, through which he seeks to “turn strangers into neighbors” by creating lasting relationships with the people and students.
Gavin has plans to integrate his efforts in Haiti with his new priesthood position. Gavin noted, “I hope that the partnership that EA and St. Marc’s can grow to the point where St. Marc’s has the infrastructure it needs to be a successful school. I also hope to help or persuade The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania to create a number of partnerships with the schools and churches in the Diocese of Haiti.”