Diocesan Staff Transitions – Fall 2022
The Ven. L. Sue von Rautenkranz, Archdeacon and Diocesan Liturgist to Retire
Archdeacon Sue von Rautenkranz is retiring, and her last official day on staff will coincide with January’s Diocesan Convention. After 44 years of service in The Episcopal Church, Sue looks forward “to seeing what God has in store for me in the months and years to come.” Bishop Mariann named Sue as the first Archdeacon of the diocese on a part-time basis in the spring of 2015. As the deacons ministry grew, so did Sue’s responsibilities, and in 2018, Sue joined the EDOW staff fulltime and added the role of Diocesan Liturgist to her ministry responsibilities.
“When I consider all that has come to pass in Deacons’ Ministry since Archdeacon Sue began her work among us, I am in awe,” shares Bishop Mariann. “Please join me in surrounding Sue with our love and encouragement during her last months as archdeacon. We will send her off with a thanksgiving liturgy at Diocesan Convention on January 28, 2023.”
The Rev. Steve Seely, incoming Archdeacon
The Rev. Steve Seely has accepted Bishop Mariann’s invitation to serve as the diocese’s next archdeacon. Steve is known throughout the diocese and among his deacon peers for his love for Jesus, passion for this ministry, and strong skills in leadership development and pastoral care. He will join diocesan staff November 1, giving him time to work alongside Sue in order to ensure a smooth transition. Steve writes, “I am humbled but excited to work with and support deacon ministries that connect our churches with their communities, and ministries that share the life-changing love of Jesus.”
Araceli Ma, Latino Communications Assistant
We give thanks to Araceli for her many years of service as her work as the diocesan Latino Communications Assistant ends. She began her journey with us in June of 2010, serving the Latino/Hispanic ministries of the diocese, generously sharing her love, passion and commitment to our Spanish-speaking faith communities. During her tenure, Araceli supported three Latino Missioners and actively sought ways to contribute. “Araceli is a friend, a prayer warrior, and a woman of faith that loves Jesus above all,” writes Mildred Briones Reyes, Missioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries and Diocesan Initiatives. We’re grateful to report that Araceli will continue her dedicated and joy-filled work among us as a volunteer lay leader.
Rudy Logan, Missioner for Equity and Justice
It is with great joy that we announce the elimination of the word “interim” from Rudy Logan’s title. Rudy joined diocesan staff in late June as the interim Missioner for Equity and Justice and hit the ground running, quickly reaching out to the various equity and justice task forces and committees to begin building relationships and assessing the work ahead. He ably assisted the Task Force on Reparations in preparing for the recent Repairing the Breach: A Symposium on Reparations and will be teaching a class for the School for Christian Faith and Leadership later in the fall on Cooperative Leadership. “Rudy brings a deep passion for the work of Equity and Justice and always calls us back to the why–the theology that fuels this work,” shares the Rev. Anne-Marie Jeffrey, Canon for Congregational Vitality. “His ability to listen and his awareness of the connections across all the areas of Equity and Justice will serve the diocese well as he supports efforts of our people to change this broken world.”
