Welcome Mother Julia Rusling!
The Search Committee has completed its work and made its recommendation, which has been enthusiastically approved by the Vestry. Therefore, we welcome our new Rector, Mother Julia Rusling.
Many of us have already met Mother Julia as she celebrated two services with us about a year ago before Father Brad became our Interim Rector. She and her husband Dr. Daniel Lee and son Andrew live in Metairie, and she most recently served as Interim Rector at St. George’s Episcopal Church in New Orleans. Prior to that, she served at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Dunwoody, Georgia, as assistant and as the director of a ministry she created called Anam Cara. This was a ministry of spiritual direction, classes, retreats, and yoga. offered to those in the parish and in the broader community. Mother Julia will start in mid-January, and, as is the St. Augustine’s way, plans are already proceeding for an amazing welcome celebration! Please join me in thanking all of the members of the Search Committee: Raul Esquivel, Susan Hackett Walpole, Kate Smith, Donovan Ohrt-Champagne, Myra Noustens, and Tony Gregorio. Dotty Suthon, Senior Warden 
The Process |
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What's happened so far?
February 2021: We welcomed our interim rector, Fr. Brad St. Romain, on February 7, 2021, and began work on forming a search committee. March 2021: The Rector Search Committee was called. The committee met with the Canon to the Ordinary for initial training, information, and planning. April 2021: The Search Committee, with help from the Diocese, published an anonymous survey to gather data from the parish, and began working on small group discussions. The responses were analyzed by both the committee and the diocese to help us better understand the wants and needs of our congregation and assist in building an accurate parish profile. May 2021: The Search Committee hosted small group discussions to talk to as many of our members as possible about our strengths and weaknesses as a church, and what they believe we need in a new rector. The committee met with the Canon to the Ordinary to discuss preliminary findings, and the Canon addressed the parish on May 16. June 2021: The committee completed the public parish profile and a profile for the Office for Transition Ministry. Both were approved by the bishop's office and St. Augustine's vestry. These profiles were posted online, and the committee began gathering names and resumes for potential rectors. July & August 2021: The Search Committee accepted nominations, reviewed applicants received, and created a set of interview questions tailored to life and work at St. Augustine's. September 2021: The committee is regrouping after Hurricane Ida. They are moving forward with the candidate interview process while continuing to accept nominations. October 2021: The committee conducted interviews and discernment conversations, and moved toward making their final recommendation. November 2021: The search committee gave the final name to the senior warden on November 10 and presented their recommendation to the vestry on November 15, 2021. December 2021: After discussion with the search committee, the diocese, and the candidate, the vestry made the decision to extend a call to Mtr. Julia Rusling. Mtr. Julia has accepted and will become the sixth rector of St. Augustine's Episcopal Church, beginning mid-January 2022. |
