Around the Diocese
Two Ordained to the Diaconate
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he Rev. Jason Burns was ordained to the vocational diaconate on March 7, 2020 at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in South Hadley. Jason’s call to ministry was nurtured by the people of St. Andrew's Turners Falls and then St. James' Greenfield prior to their merger, and then, even more so by the people of Saints James and Andrew, Greenfield. He served as a Licensed Lay Preacher, Lay Worship Leader, and Vestry member in his home congregation before beginning his discernment for the vocational diaconate. Prepared by the Province I School for Deacons, Jason was an intern at St. John’s, Northampton and at St. Philip’s, Easthampton. He is a history teacher by trade, but his ministry passion is for suicide prevention, which has led him to become an advocate for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). He participates in several Out of the Darkness walks each year to raise funds to find better treatments for mental illness and to raise awareness that mental illness is no different than any other treatable illness. In addition to being a full-time teacher, Jason is a fulltime dad of two teenage boys and has been happily married to his wife, Erica, for nearly 18 years. ♦
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A BUNDANT TIMES
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he Rev. Kevin Antonio Smallwood was ordained to the transitional diaconate on March 7, 2020 at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in South Hadley. Kevin Antonio was baptized and confirmed in the Diocese of Washington. His journey toward priesthood began as a youth member of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Washington, DC, where he was involved in community service, youth events, and social justice initiatives. The call deepened as he served two years in the Lawrence House Service Corps program during which he interned at Christ Church Cathedral, Springfield. His life in Western Massachusetts led him into the discernment process and eventually to seminary. He attended The School of Theology at The University of the South: Sewanee, where he obtained his Master of Divinity degree, trained for ordained ministry, and served as an intern at Christ Church Cathedral, Nashville. Upon graduating in 2019, he now serves as the Associate Rector for Families and Youth at Grace Episcopal Church, Silver Spring, MD. ♦
