As junior warden at St. John’s, I’ve had the opportunity to observe Julie’s excellent performance as a seminarian and now as curate.  She is proactive and engaged, especially in her work coordinating liturgy.   Our summer schedule has been complex because of our Rector’s sabbatical, and the liturgy group has risen to the challenge.    In particular, Julie is well organized and thoughtful.  Her interpersonal skills are truly outstanding: she encourages and energizes the people with whom she works.

Julie has also shown great maturity in her work with the parish this summer.  We had a couple of unexpected deaths while all of the other clergy were away.  She worked with the staff and laity to make sure that everything that needed to be done for the funerals was completed and both services were beautiful.

I wish we could keep Julie at St. Johns.   She will be a blessing to her next parish.

Lynn Hertz

Junior Warden, St. John the Evangelist, St. Paul, MN

 

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The Reverend Julie Luna has been a part of St John’s for a number of months as an Intern and now as a newly minted Priest. I have witnessed her work as a Clergy person for a funeral, as a Priest celebrating Eucharist and welcoming members unconditionally to St John’s. Her spirit is joyful and embracing. Her latest sermon captured the times of the Old Testament and those we live in today perfectly. Her desire to serve a Parish is carried out daily in her work at St John’s.

Tom Evans
Coordinator St. John the Evangelist Special Service Ushers

 

 

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Any church or mission would be blessed to have Julie Luna serving with them. Julie’s warmth and enthusiasm are genuine, and she brings a loving, positive attitude to all that she does. She is at home with all age groups and nationalities, and she works tirelessly toward accomplishing her goals. Julie showed her dedication and perseverance by completing her studies for the priesthood and becoming ordained while raising a family. As a youth leader, she conducted educational yet fun programs and at the same time filling in wherever and whenever needed in the church. As a very newly ordained priest, Julie was chosen by the family to officiate at the difficult funeral for a young parishioner who had committed suicide. She was the picture of grace, compassion, and dignity.

Mary Ann Jackson, parishioner

St. John the Evangelist, St. Paul, MN

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Julie is clearly called to and prepared for the ministry. Her past work experiences (as a facilitator and teacher)] together with her family life and exposure to different faith traditions will serve her well in her chosen vocation as a parish priest. Her core strengths are her welcoming nature, positive attitude, intelligence, and ability to engage people. She is open to criticism and new opportunities as her work on liturgy development and staff transitions have evidenced. Her inexperience with delivering sermons and pastoral care are not a concern as her progress to date has demonstrated her strong potential. She is a continuous learner, a caring and thoughtful listener, and appreciates both tradition and the need for change. Julie’s conversations, public speaking, and stewardship reflect her Christian faith. She ‘walks the talk’. A likely challenge for Julie moving forward will be to balance self-care with family and vocational needs, but Julie’s enthusiasm for life and being centered by her faith will serve her and others well in the future.

Internship Lay Committee Evaluation

• Sr. Julian (Helen) Boyer Smith
• Kevin Seitz-Paquette
• Charlie Docherty
• Terry Dinovo
• Anneke Krall

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Julie has honed many skills for pastoral care and leadership. She is beyond competent in this area. Clearly her life experience, humility, and wisdom have formed her well, even before formal theological training, to be a wise pastor and competent leader. Julie is an excellent administrator – able to track many details and spin many plates at once.

Julie has no trouble giving voice to her sense of Christian vocation, call to ordination, and even relating these things in her life to the discernment work others are engaging. She can draw on her own experiences and use them to help others in similar contexts.

Julie is ready to serve the church as a priest. She has a wisdom beyond her years and is both easy to relate and work with and simultaneously someone I would gladly refer others to for pastoral care. She is clearly well-trained, theologically astute, and smart.

Internship Evaluation

Jered Weber-Johnson, Rector, St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church

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Rev. Margaret Thor

Deacon, St John the Evangelist

60 Kent St.

St. Paul, MN 55102

January 23, 2018

 

Episcopal Church in Minnesota

Attn: Standing Committee

1101 Broadway St.

Minneapolis, MN

 

Re: Rev. Julie Luna

Dear Members of the Standing Committee,

It is with great pleasure that I write to you about the diaconal experience of Julie Luna as a transitional deacon at St John the Evangelist (SJE). I am privileged to serve side by side with Julie at SJE since she joined us at the beginning of September 2017. Julie completed the many duties of the deacon including reading the Gospel, setting the table, and distributing both bread and wine at communion. Since setting the table involves a number of moving parts, Julie recognized the importance of developing a collaborative relationship with the Altar Guild who generally manage a number of these parts. She also took the time to get to know the acolytes and vergers and other participants in the service. In addition, she wrote prayers of the people that aligned with the liturgical season. At SJE, we include in the prayers of the people names of those with whom we pray and Julie did a terrific job on keeping on top of that list and including those she knew who wanted us to pray with them. Julie clearly understands the role of the Deacon during worship and is comfortable in carrying out those duties.

While at SJE, Julie took on the role of chair of our Liturgy Committee. As a transitional deacon, this role allowed her to further develop her knowledge of liturgy and how each person in their role (as a priest, deacon and lay) enhances and supports it. She recognizes and affirms that the deacon plays an integral part in the liturgy especially in demonstrating the importance of service to others.

Julie spent her time at SJE really learning about and experiencing the ministry of the deacon. She embraced this ministry as her own and demonstrated a willingness to be a servant to Christ. Her actions and words as preached by her sermons and in everyday interactions with others confirm this. I believe that she is able “to show Christ’s people that in serving the helpless they are serving Christ himself.”

If you have any questions about Julie’s experience as a deacon at SJE, please feel free to contact me at 651-631-8308 or via email at margaretcthor@gmail.com

May the peace God be with you all,

Margaret Thor