Getting to know our new Assistant Rector, the Rev. Erin Morey
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The Rev. Erin Morey started working as the Assistant Rector of St. Paul's on July 1st, and we are very excited to welcome her! Here in this conversation, we learn a bit more about Erin's journey thus far.
Tell us a little about your journey to ordination.
It’s been a long journey! I grew up in New Jersey in the Roman Catholic tradition. I can remember playing “Mass” with my sister and friends when we were little kids, and I would pretend to be a priest celebrating Communion for them. Eventually, I moved to Pittsburgh to go law school, and became a public defender here in Allegheny County. I found working with my clients in crisis very fulfilling, but I felt called to some sort of work where I could support people before they found themselves involved in the criminal justice system. I began working for Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, an agency that supports survivors of intimate partner violence. By this time, I’d already begun worshipping in the Episcopal tradition, and I had the opportunity to serve as one of the Episcopal Church’s delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. While I was there, someone asked me if I’d ever felt I might be called to ordained ministry, and I realized I might be. I read the autobiography of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, who was the first Black person who didn’t identify as a man to be ordained a priest in the Episcopal tradition. The Rev. Dr. Murray had also been a lawyer before their ordination, and reading their story inspired me to continue to discern whether I might also be called to ordained ministry. I received a scary cancer diagnosis in 2017, and I am incredibly grateful that I responded very well to treatment and recovered fully. But, in that moment, I knew that I would be disappointed if I came to the end of my life without having questioned if God was calling me to ordained ministry. So, I began officially working on that process, and it’s led me here! It has been a joyful, grace-filled journey!
What were you doing before you became our Assistant Rector?
For the past three years, I was studying at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, as part of the process of preparing to be ordained. I also returned to working for Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh when they started a new text / chat service to help survivors unable to leave their homes during the pandemic. I chatted online with survivors who reached out to us; and I also answered calls on the shelter’s telephone hotline, and worked with the shelter residents.
What are you most excited about in your new position?
I have always been deeply moved by the way the Civil Rights Movement in the United States has been shaped by the courage and faith of the people working for justice. I am excited that I will be working with St. Paul’s Social Justice and Anti-Racism Commission, and Sustainability and Creation Care ministries, as we participate in the peace and love of God’s beautiful Creation, and Beloved Community! Also, for a long time at the Women’s Shelter, I’ve enjoyed speaking with people about hope and healing. I am incredibly grateful that God has now led me to a place where I have the opportunity to participate in the hopeful, healing grace God pours out through the sacraments.
What do you like to do when you aren't at St. Paul's?
I am really, really curious about the world and love to try new things, so I’m always finding some waterfall or ice cream parlor or museum or goofy roadside attraction and taking a mini-road trip to visit it. I especially like being outdoors. I love learning about nature, and seeing plants and animals. When I’m at home, I love to read, listen to music, and hang out with my pets (I have cats, rabbits, and a dog). I also really like thrift shopping, and finding fun secondhand clothes!