March 2026
‘Collaborative Lent, Progressive Holy Week’ in Deanery 6
by the Very Rev. Keith Yamamoto, dean
This is the sixth in a series of Angelus columns offering news about congregations in diocesan deaneries.
Deanery 6 extends from the eastern San Gabriel Valley to the western Inland Empire. Two of our nine congregations offer bilingual services, in Spanish and also in Mandarin; five have full-time clergy, three are led by wardens, and one by a dynamic team of bi-vocational clergy plus a retired clergy person. We appreciate the Licensed Lay Leaders and the supply clergy who keep those lay-led congregations going. The Deanery offers collaborative activities during the Advent and Lent seasons with soup suppers and book studies, quiet days, nature walks, and a progressive Holy Week where hosting the Triduum services are shared among the churches.
St. Ambrose, Claremont (1951) welcomed their new Priest in charge, the Rev. Christopher Potter in October, 2025. They run a Shower Program for their neighbors who may have no home to shower, their program includes a warm meal, socialization, and a medical van comes monthly for urgent need. Run by volunteers, the program serves about 65 people a week. They are soon to break ground for a new Affordable Living center on site — a facility that will offer 59 affordable housing units open to all. St. Ambrose and St. John’s LaVerne share an Office Administrator.
Holy Trinity, Covina (1887) has one of the most beautiful sanctuaries and chapels in the diocese. The chapel is a visual and spiritual echo of the Mission San Diego de Alcala and the main church was designed by the same architect as the Mission Inn, Episcopalian Arthur Benton. They are also known for their high church liturgy, Spanish language worship services, Veteran’s Day Evensong, and celebrations of the Feast of Guadalupe with Mariachi, and La Posada with donkey and petting zoo. The Rev. Steve DeMuth (rector since 2018) is co-hosting a Pilgrimage to Fatima, Lourdes, and Spain in October.
Grace, Glendora (1912) has one of the liveliest youth ministry programs in the diocese, including an annual ski trip retreat to Mammoth and the 30-hour fast. The church is home to one of Manual Rosales’ earliest organs, Opus 3. Their handbell quartet will be performing at the Glendora Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast in April, featuring Fr. Gregory Boyle of Homeboy Industries. The YouTube channel produced by the Grace Stream Team streams their Sunday services. The Rev. Susan Scranton (rector since 1997) is a concert pianist and member of the handbell quartet.
St. Thomas, Hacienda Heights (1963), a multicultural and vibrant congregation consisting of Anglos, Filipinos, Latinos, and Chinese (from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China), worships in English and Mandarin. They are closely connected with the local community by sharing space with several outside groups. They also coordinate and host many of the Asian/Chinese celebrations and events for the diocese including the Taiwan Companionship visits and celebration. The Rev. Dr. Hsin Fen (Fennie) Chang (vicar since 2017) serves as Deputy to General Convention, 2027, and the Standing Committee.
St. John’s, La Verne (1961) is led by Bishop’s Warden Dorina Green. Saint John’s has been meeting and serving the community for over 60 years. They are a vibrant congregation that loves worshipping together. They’re most excited about participating in the Requiem or Renaissance program and have started investigating the possibility of building low income housing on their property. In the meantime, they continue to fill their Sundays with a supply priest, which is complemented with Morning Prayer Services when needed. They are also looking forward to hosting Deanery Six in our Lenten book study series and Maundy Thursday service. After Easter, they look forward to their 2nd Annual Springtime Tea Luncheon, which will be open to the public.
Christ Church, Ontario (1886) is led by Senior Warden Cash Sutton III. Rebecca’s Garden is open to the public and offers a sanctuary in an urban setting and sponsors seasonal activities such as composting, gardening, and meditation. One of the garden partners is a local group that provides transportation for disabled adults. They host a support group for members of the Traumatic Brain Injury community. They are one of the premier Anglo-Catholic congregations of the diocese and one of the first congregations to install solar panels. Both church and courtyard are adorned with beautiful paintings of saint and other icons. They have been noted for their collection of vestments and sacred vessels. They are participating in the Requiem or Renaissance and look forward to increasing membership so that our ministry continues to serve their community.
St. Paul’s, Pomona (1876) is led by Senior Warden Pat Holt. During 2026 they are celebrating 150 years of ministry in Pomona on November 7. They offer a variety of resources, ministry, and leadership for and with the Immigration and Pride communities. They have just completed campus improvements enabled by a security grant. They run Labyrinth workshops, social justice film series, a men’s group, and Ana’s Closet, formerly known as “Dress-a-Girl,” which provides dresses for girls in need.
St. Peter’s, Rialto is a veteran-friendly congregation and is listed in the National Chaplains Association Registry. The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Hughes (Acting Priest-in-Charge since 2022) is a history professor and renowned expert on religion and spirituality in Latin America, especially Mexico. She is assisted by the Rev. Jay Tillitt and the Rev. Dr. Lisa Fortuna. They have been instrumental in organizing Inland Empire Sacred Resistance.
St. Mark’s, Upland (1910) has vibrant fellowship and outreach ministries including the Foothill Family Shelter (founded by the church in 1987) now an independent non-profit providing transitional housing for families; TOUCH Ministry serving the chronically homeless, and a Haiti Partnership since 1999. Their annual Ash Wednesday Ash and Dash served over 300 commuters and workers this year, including mail carriers, trash collectors, and parents driving their children to school, who could not otherwise attend an Ash Wednesday service. The Very Rev. Keith Yamamoto (rector since 2009) volunteers for the General Convention every three years.
–The Very Rev. Keith Yamamoto is rector of St. Mark’s, Upland.
New ‘Vocation Hub’ platform is replacing OTM Profile; action required ASAP
A message to clergy from the Rev. Canon Thomas Quijada-Discavage in the diocesan Office of Formation and Transition Ministry
Lenten greetings to all,
For the past year, the staff of The Episcopal Church Center has been developing a platform for transition ministry to better serve your needs. We are pleased to announce that we have completed that process and our new platform — the Vocation Hub — will be replacing the OTM Portfolio.
This week, OTM users will receive a PDF of their individual profiles. These PDFs will be sent to anyone who has updated their OTM profile in the past seven years, and whose profile contains an active email address.
You may also visit the OTM Portfolio and export a PDF of your individual profile. If you do not remember your login or have trouble logging into your account, please email Craig Dressler, ministry network specialist. The OTM Portfolio cannot respond to support requests. You may also email Craig and ask him to export and send your PDF.
The last day to access the OTM Portfolio is March 12 at 11:59 p.m. (ET). Between now and March 12, you are encouraged to update your profile before then to support a successful transfer of information to Vocation Hub.
Churchwide login invitations for authorized users will be sent the week of March 16. At that time, you will be able to see all community position profiles that have been published by the diocesan transition ministers. You will also be able to make edits and additions and publish your personal profile for viewing by diocesan transition ministers.
This new system will feature greater security through a passkey system and is designed to reflect the full range of vocations in the church.
Any questions, please let me know (email: tdiscavage@ladiocese.org) and I will do my best to answer them.
Angelus Links
Clergy: Office of Formation and Transitions Ministry
The next issue of Angelus will be electronically transmitted and published in April 2026.
Please email news and connections items to Angelus editor, the Rev. Canon Pat McCaughan, at: revpatmccaughan@aol.com by March 22.
Angelus is a joint project of the Office of Clergy Formation and Transition Ministry and the Office of Communication of the Diocese of Los Angeles.
213.482.2040, ext. 251
The Rev. Canon Pat McCaughan, editor
revpatmccaughan@aol.com
949.892.0525
Reminders
TENS: The Episcopal Network for Stewardship
The Diocese of Los Angeles has renewed its membership in TENS: the Episcopal Network for Stewardship, which offers stewardship resources, teaching and training opportunities.
The diocese’s membership provides access to TENS materials for all its congregations. To log on, visit the website, select “Annual Pledge Campaign” from the navigation bar and “Tell Out My Soul” from the dropdown menu. The password for 2025 is Luke1:46. (Note: the password is case sensitive and there are no spaces. No user name is required.) Materials are available in English and Spanish and in MS Word and PDF versions.
The campaign theme is “Tell out My Soul,” a celebration and proclamation of the Good News. “The Good News that fills our spirits with joy is about the radical abundance, abiding love, and healing power that Jesus shares with us when we respond to his call to follow him. All of the gifts that we have been given are ready to burst forth to serve our neighbors and share our love with a world in need.”
Grants available for deacons in financial need
The Fund for the Diaconate provides vital financial assistance for deacons and those in diaconal formation who have insufficient funds for their needs. Most deacons in The Episcopal Church serve as non-stipendiary ministry leaders, and lack church pensions to draw upon in times of crisis. Grants are available for ongoing support, declared emergencies, medical expenses, and diaconal formation. Applications are accepted at any time. More information is here.
URGENT CALL: Update Clergy Supply List with Office of Formation and Transition Ministry
We are in great need of more assistance with Sunday supply and interim positions. If you are available to assist with supply, long term supply, transition ministry, etc., please email Tom Quijada-Discavage at tdiscavage@ladiocese.org to make sure you are on our list. Please consider helping us out!
EDLA-Sanctuary-Sign-1EDLA-Sanctuary-Sign-1
Sacred Resistance signage now available in English, Spanish
In response to the escalation of ICE raids across Southern California, the Sacred Resistance Task Force, an immigration justice ministry of the diocese, has created a sign which can be posted at churches as a resource for congregations throughout the Diocese of Los Angeles. Download here. Download in Spanish here.
“Within our a sanctuary diocese, this sign serves as a notice to any agency/agent engaging in immigration enforcement that due process must be followed in and around our church grounds,” said the Rev. Dr. Francisco Garcia, one of the members of the Sacred Resistance Steering Committee. “It is literally an outward and visible sign that we are guided simultaneously by our constitutional rights and by our baptismal covenant – and that both require of us to respect the human dignity of all persons, regardless of citizenship status or any other perceived status of difference.”
More information on the Sacred Resistance Task Force can be found on its website or by contacting diocesan staff liaison the Rev. Canon Susan Russell at srussell@ladiocese.org.
Episcopal Church Immigration Action Toolkit Available
The Episcopal Church has released an Immigration Action Toolkit, offering ways to help as well as resources for individuals, congregations, and dioceses. The toolkit is available here.
Requiescant
The Rev. Dr. Beverly Factor
The Rev. Dr. Beverly Factor, who served as interim priest in three congregations of the Diocese of Los Angeles from 1998 to 2002, died Feb. 7 in Pasadena after a long illness. She was 86 and had previously served churches in Missouri and Ohio. Survivors include Factor’s husband, Dr. Joe Elterman. Plans for a memorial service are pending.
Ordained to the priesthood in 1993 in the Diocese of Southern Ohio, Factor held a doctorate of ministry in congregational development from Seabury Western Theological Seminary, and a master of divinity degree from the General Theological Seminary in New York.
Factor’s expertise in interim ministry included supporting congregations – including St. Patrick’s, Thousand Oaks; St. Peter’s, Santa Maria; and St. Mary’s, Lompoc – through future-call processes. In 2001-2002 she also served the Diocese of Los Angeles as sexual misconduct officer.
Factor was a chaplain with Episcopal Community Services from 2012 to 2014, and as new church-plant officer in the Diocese of Springfield, Ill. Also experienced in performing arts, Factor was an actor with the Monroe Actors Stage Company from 2002 to 2011.
The Rev. Bryan Jones
A celebration of the life and ministry of the Rev. Bryan Jones, 72, was held Feb. 16 at St. Luke’s, La Crescenta.
Jones. who died Feb. 3, had served congregations including St. Luke’s, La Crescenta; St. Thomas, Long Beach; St. Aidan’s, Malibu; and Epiphany, East Los Angeles, as well as churches in Massachusetts and Utah.
The Rev. Toni Stuart
A celebration of the life and ministry of the Rev. Toni Freeman Stuart, assisting priest at St. Michael’s University Church in Isla Vista and former vicar of the Chapel of St. Francis in L.A.’s Atwater Village, will be held at 11AM, Saturday, March 14 at St. Michael’s, 6586 Picasso Road.
Stuart died Jan. 2 in Santa Barbara where she was hospitalized following treatment for cancer. She was 88 and well known for pro-justice advocacy. Bishop John Harvey Taylor visited Stuart and administered last rites on Jan. 1 at Cottage Hospital. Arrangements for a memorial service are pending. A full obituary may be found here.
Connections
GREG BROWN will be installed as rector of Holy Nativity Parish in Westchester at 10AM, Saturday, May 30, by Bishop John Harvey Taylor. The diocesan community is invited to attend. Holy Nativity is located at 6700 W. 83rd Street, Westchester.
JON FEUSS has been named by Bishop-elect Antonio J. Gallardo L. to serve as diocesan canon to the ordinary and chief of staff beginning July 11. He has been serving as associate rector of St. James’ in-the-City, L.A.
NORMA GUERRA began her new position as priest associate and emergent rector at St. Paul’s Church in Tustin on March 1. She had served since 2020 as diocesan associate for formation and transition.
GREG KIMURA will be consecrated and seated as the 6th Bishop of the Fresno-based Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin by Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe on April 18, 2026.
MELISSA MCCARTHY has been called as priest-in-charge of St. Matthew’s, Pacific Palisades. She had served for nearly 10 years as diocesan canon to the ordinary.
ANDREA MCMILLIN has accepted the position of dean and rector of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock, Arkansas, starting in early 2026.
PAT O’REILLY concluded her ministry as vicar of St. George’s, Hawthorne, on Feb. 22, the last day that worship services were to be held at the church.
CLARKE PRESCOTT has begun serving as long-term supply at Grace, Moreno Valley.
ANDREW RUTLEDGE will be installed as rector of St. Mark’s, Los Olivos, at 10AM, Saturday, March 7, by Bishop John Harvey Taylor. The diocesan community is invited to attend. St. Mark’s is located at 2901 Nojoqui, Los Olivos.
JOHN WATSON began serving as interim diocesan canon on March 1 and will continue in that role until the consecration of Bishop-elect Antonio J. Gallardo L. on July 11. He is currently priest-in-charge of two L.A. city congregations — St. Athanasis and Epiphany — and coordinator of the diocesan “Requiem or Renaissance” program which supports missions and parishes in transition.
BOB WILLIAMS celebrated his 40th year of ministry with the diocese during a February 10 online service of Evening Prayer, officiated by Bishop John Harvey Taylor.
Request to Clergy
March 2026
With over 40 congregations in some stage of transition and other clergy trying to take some much-needed time off, please consider helping us out!! We are in great need of more assistance with Sunday Supply and Interim positions. If you are available to assist with supply, long term supply, transition help, etc. please email Tom Quijada-Discavage at tdiscavage@ladiocese.org to make sure you are on our list.
Congregational Openings
March 2026
Clergy are encouraged to request that their name be placed on an “interest list” if they would like to be considered for:
a) positions, regardless of the progress of the congregation in determining their process, or their readiness to receive names;
b) placement by the bishop in mission congregations or where an appointment is otherwise applicable.
Contact the Rev. Canon Tom Quijada-Discavage at tdiscavage@ladiocese.org or via phone at: 213.482.2040.
Open positions:
ACTIVE (Rectors)
Receiving names/Soon to post
ACTIVE (Vicars)
None currently
Soon to Post:
Receiving names/Soon to post
* Prince of Peace, Woodland Hills, Rector, full-time.
ACTIVE (Associate/Curate/Other Positions)
LOS ANGELES, St. James’ Episcopal School / Chaplain, part-time St. St. James’ Episcopal School is seeking a part-time chaplain beginning Aug. 2026. This is a ten-month, non-exempt position requiring weekday availabilty. Responsibilities include teaching K-6 religion clases; sharing responsibilities with the Head of School and St. James’ rector; coordinating and planning and preaching at weekly chapel and assembly schedule. Successful applicant must be an ordained Episcopal priest. Competitive salary and benefits package; interested candidates may email a cover letter and resume to careers@sjsla.org with the subject line “School Chaplain”. Pay range: $35-60/hour based on experience.
IRVINE, St. Andrew’s / Assistant Priest, half-time
- St. Andrew’s is seeking a half-time priest with strong preaching, interpersonal, and collaborative skills. The ability to welcome new and diverse persons and to communicate with young people is essential. This person would assist with preaching, Christian formation, and would partner with our rector in supporting the ministries of our congregation.
- For more info, visit website:https://standrewsirvine.org, Facebook link
- Please send cover letter/questions/resume toPeter@standrewsirvine.org
OXNARD, All Saints’ ~ Todos los Santos / Associate Priest for Children’s and Youth Ministry (part time)
- Please be in direct contact with The Rev. Melissa Campbell-Langdell, Rector with any questions and paperwork if interested – revmelissalangdell@gmail.com
- This person should be ordained or about to be ordained as a priest, conversant in Spanish and English and ready to learn and support our children’s, youth and family ministries. Flexible scheduling is available.
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MFjXuOdF63HKuC-Y7TO2dBoCGrX_-UUR/view?usp=sharing
OPEN
Receiving names/developing profile
Apple Valley, St. Timothy’s Parish–possible shared ministry with Hesperia. Full-time Rector/Vicar.
Fullerton, Emmanuel Parish – Full-time Rector
Fullerton, St. Andrew’s Parish – Full-time Rector
Granada Hills, St. Andrew and Charles Parish – Full-time Rector
Hesperia, St. Hilary’s – Part-time Vicar
Laguna Beach, St. Mary’s – Part-time Rector
Lancaster, St. Paul’s Parish Long Beach / Joint call with St. Stepehen’s Lutheran, Full-time Rector/Pastor
Long Beach, St. Thomas of Canterbury, Part-time Vicar
Los Angeles, St. John’s Cathedral – Full-time Dean
Ojai, St. Andrew’s Parish – Part-time Rector
Pasadena, Church of the Angels – Bishop’s Chapel – Full-time Vicar/Rector
South Pasadena, St. James’ – Full-time Rector
Woodland Hills, Prince of Peace – Full-time Rector
OPEN
No longer receiving names/Interviewing candidate
MISSION & OTHER POSITION APPOINTMENTS
Mission congregation positions, some of them part time, for which the Formation and Transition Ministry office is presently receiving names for the bishop’s consideration.
Barstow, St. Paul’s Mission and Shepherd of the Desert Lutheran
Big Bear, St. Columba / Spirit of Peace Mission
Gardena, Holy Communion Mission
Lake Arrowhead, St. Richard of Chichester Mission
La Verne, St. John’s Mission
Moreno Valley, Grace Mission
Needles, St. John’s Mission
Norwalk, St. Francis Mission
Rialto, St. Peter’s Mission
Simi Valley, St. Francis Mission
Wilmington, St. John’s / Holy Child (PIC) Mission
Yucca Valley, St. Joseph of Arimathea Mission
NON-ACTIVE
Parish congregations that will at some point be searching for clergy leadership, but are now working with supply clergy, a long-term interim or priest in charge:
Arcadia, Church of the Transfiguration Parish
Downey, St. Mark’s Parish
Garden Grove, St. Anselm
Los Angeles, Christ the Good Shepherd Parish
Los Angeles, Melrose, Trinity Parish
Los Angeles, St. Philip’s Parish
Monterey Park, St. Gabriel’s Parish
Ojai, St. Andrew’s Parish
Ontario, Christ Church
Pasadena, All Saints Parish
Pasadena, St. Barnabas Parish
Pomona, St. Paul’s Parish
San Fernando, St. Simon’s Parish
Santa Maria, St. Peter’s Parish
Santa Paula, St. Paul’s and Emmanuel Lutheran
South Gate, St. Margaret’s Parish
Van Nuys, St. Mark’s Parish