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Six Ordained to the Presbyterate:
​Meet the Diocese of Hawai'i's Newest Priests

Over ten months ago, on June 9, 2018, Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick and the Diocese of Hawai'i welcomed six new deacons to the Transitional Diaconate (pictured above from the E-Chronicle April-June 2018).  Since then, they have fulfilled their requirement of serving in a church as a deacon for at least six months, and all have now been ordained to the Presbyterate, serving in the Diocese.  We share photos of our newest priests, on their journey, at their ordination, and their time since. Some have also shared a personal reflection.  Congratulations!  Our Diocese is so blessed!   (Photos are from Facebook posts, church newsletters/websites, and personal submissions.)

The Rev. Christopher Bridges

The Rev. Christopher Bridges was ordained to the Presbyterate on December 8, 2018, at Holy Nativity Episcopal Church in Aina Haina, where he continues to serve as the Curate.

Prior to his ordination, Bridges earned his undergraduate degree at Auburn University Montgomery, and holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Development from Webster’s University.

He served as a Junior Warden at The Cathedral of St. Andrew, and was provided a stipend by the church during his three years at the University of the South-School of Theology, where he received his Master of Divinity.

He lives with his spouse, Richard Harris, in Honolulu.



The Rev. Jasmine Bostock

The Rev. Jasmine "Jazzy" Bostock was ordained to the Presbyterate on December 22, 2018, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Honolulu, where she is currently serving as the Curate.

Although Bostock's home church has been St. James' Episcopal Church on the Big Island, she attended Punahou School on O'ahu, and in 2012, graduated from American University in Washington, D.C.  It wasn't long before she began her seminary studies at Yale Divinity School in Connecticut in 2014.  

To most who know her, it is no surprise that she has followed this path.  In 2010, as an intern at the World Council of Churches, she wrote, "I have felt called to ordination since I was seven years old.  I have always been really involved in the church and felt really called to church work."

She has remained very active in The Episcopal Church.  In 2013, as chair of the Executive Council Committee on Indigenous Ministry, she was part of the delegation to the WCC General Assembly in South Korea (view a video clip HERE) and in 2015, testified at a United Nations Forum on Indigenous issues.  (You can view an article in the Anglican Communion News Service HERE.)
The day I was ordained to the priesthood was a gift. It was full of people who have walked with me, cried with me, made me laugh, and prayed for me along my journey. The day marked a joyful beginning of vocational life I was stepping into. Since the day of ordination, the joy has remained - I feel lucky to be able to serve the people in my parish, and incredibly gifted by their compassionate, kind, thoughtful, and loving souls. I have felt the power and the movement of the Holy Spirit in this parish, in this Diocese, and among the people I serve. I hope to continue to live into this vocation, and gift back to others all that I have been given. --- The Rev. Jasmine Bostock

The Rev. Alison Donohue Harding

The Rev. Alison "Ali" Donohue Harding was ordained to the Presbyterate on January 5, 2018, at Trinity By-the-Sea in Kihei, Maui, where she had been serving as a transitional deacon.

Donohue has been in ministry for the past twenty years, serving as a retreat director, school chaplain, theology teacher and preacher. She has an MA in English and an MA in theology from Fordham University, and a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School.

​She now serves as the 
Associate for Education and Pastoral Care at St. John's Episcopal Church in Kula, Maui, alongside her spouse, the Rev. Kerith Harding, who has been the Rector there since 2013, and their two children.  She is excited to join an already thriving church school program and provide pastoral care whenever possible.  

Donohue also teaches English at Maui College (UHMC) and considers herself a teacher at heart. Much of her training has been with the Jesuits, who believe that we find “God in all things,” which animates her approach to life.
As I stood under the warm sun at Trinity by the Sea in Kihei on January 5, surrounded by wonderful people, I was keenly aware of the whole unfolding of this passage from lay to ordained, and felt — in a new and deep way —  the tremendous gift of the many people who walked with me, without whom I might not have been standing there at all.

The incarnational nature of our faith was so powerful that I felt I was a witness and participant in our ordination, not my ordination.  It was a community event and celebration, as well as a lasting theological reminder that God is always to be found in the heart of our neighbor.  My three year old daughter drove this point home by insisting she (and her pink bunny) join Bishop Bob and me at the altar for our first mass.

Since then, I have delighted in the discovery that ordination did not make me feel separate from others but more closely linked and held together by God’s radically inclusive love.

​It is my greatest honor to serve at an altar that welcomes all — from bishop to bunny —  and unites us all in our common identity as children of God. Mahalo to the many people who continue to walk with me on this sacred path. --- The Rev. Alison Donohue

The Rev. Mark Kekaileonui Haworth

The Rev. Mark Kekaileonui Haworth was ordained to the Presbyterate on Saturday, January 12, 2019, at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Ma'ili. He currently serves as a Curate at both St. John the Baptist and St. Nicholas Episcopal Church (Kapolei).

Mark was raised in Kailua and graduated from Punahou School.  He went on to study theatre in New York City, and eventually moved back home to Hawai'i.  He married his high school sweetheart, Jill, and they have four children who have grown up in The Parish of St. Clement.

Mark, who is an owner of an advertising agency, is a member of the second class to graduate from the Waiolaihui'ia local formation program, that enables communicants to work while studying and preparing for Holy orders.  He is also well-known in the Diocese for his singing and musical talents, and was proud to jump in to be a part of the Diocesan Communications Team, which is helping to shape the direction our church might take into the future.  
​I am so grateful to all of those in this diocese who helped me to discern my call to the presbyterate, especially my family at St. Clement’s who journeyed with me from the beginning of this walk, over 7 years ago! --- The Rev. Mark Haworth

The Rev. Ha'aheo Guanson

The Rev. Ha'aheo Guanson was ordained to the Presbyterate on March 9, 2019, at the Parish of St. Clement in Honolulu, where she is currently serving as Curate.

Dr. Guanson holds a doctorate in Education from USC and is widely known for her advocacy for peace and non-violence.  As the founding Director of the Matsunaga Institute for Peace at the University of Hawai'i, she has taught nonviolence and reconciliation for over 30 years.  She is also the co-founder of the Pacific Justice and Reconciliation Center whose mission is to create a culture of peace and nonviolence for the children of the world.

Dr. Guanson's love of God and pursuit of peace for the world seems tailor-made for her journey to the priesthood.  She is a product of the Waiolaihui'ia formation program which has allowed her to continue her work. Among her many roles in the community as a peace maker, author, teacher, advocate and cultural practitioner, she now adds "priest." 

She and her husband live in Kaka'ako and have one child and a grandchild.
In the spirit of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, and Queen Lili'uokalani, I am honored to be a part of the family of God through God’s spirit and breath here in Hawai'i. My heart is filled with aloha and appreciation for all the people whose lives have supported, touched, and inspired me in the ordination process. I am deeply nourished by God and by God’s people through grace, mercy and love.

As a priest, I continue to be committed to work together with all of God’s people in peace to love and serve the Lord. E hele aku ‘oukou me ka maluhia a e malama i ka Haku.  Mahalo. Your humble servant. --- The Rev. Ha'aheo Guanson

The Rev. Niel Preston Lentz

The Rev. Niel Preston Lentz (who forgoes the "Niel") was ordained to the Presbyterate on April 6, 2019, at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church in Kailua, where he is currently serving as the Curate.

Originally from Alabama, Lentz moved to Honolulu with his wife, Mary Ann, in the early 80s, while working in the financial services sector. 

With children now grown (and two grandchildren), Lentz has embarked on what he writes on the St. Christopher website as, "... the culmination of the journey which began with my baptism at age two at Grace Church."

He completed the three-year Waiolaihui'ia local formation program with Haworth and Guanson, making them the second graduating class.

"These three years have been among the most interesting, enlightening, and enhancing of my life," shares Lentz on the church website.
The two things about my ordination that stick with me are how quickly everything reduced to what was either directly in front of me (Bishop Fitzpatrick) or within a radius of three feet.  For example, I was aware that Giovan and Lani were sitting on either side of Bob, I just don't remember seeing them. 

​The second thing is that there are a LOT of services in Holy Week!  The two-hour nap Easter afternoon was entirely justified.--- The Rev. Preston Lentz

​Sybil Nishioka, Editor and Communications Contractor, Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i
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