I am delighted to announce that our new Director of Children's Formation is Maria Pacheco.
Maria has been a parishioner of St John’s for many years and has served the parish in fruitful and wonderful ways, most notably as the leader of EfM (Education for Ministry) and as a Sunday School teacher. Outside St John’s she has been an active leader in the Boy Scouts movement, and a teacher of children in her career as a conservationist.
Maria recently completed a 2-year degree in Spiritual Direction with the Haden Institute, with a view to offering this ministrywidely to parishioners of St John’s. She brings a rich portfolio of spiritual leadership and a personality that is warm, open, andwonderful with children. She will be a great addition to the staff team.
Maria will begin her new position on September 1st, in time for the new Sunday School year. -Duncan
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Dear Members of St. John’s,
I am thrilled to join the St. John’s staff. Since becoming a member 26 years ago, I have developed a deep love for this community, finding it to be a safe home with wonderful opportunities to learn and grow in faith. For me, St. John’s is a very holy place that gives me strength and fills me with love.
I recently completed my training to be a Spiritual Director at the Haden Institute in North Carolina. A key lesson I learned there is the importance of creating space for others. I believe it is vital for both children and adults to feel heard, accepted as they are, and encouraged to listen for God. In my new role as the Director of Children’s Formation, I look forward to blending fun and acceptance with learning, incorporating my love of art to encourage a creative spirit.
To share a bit about myself, I grew up in Denver, Colorado, the oldest of three daughters. I lived in Boulder, Colorado for five years and still yearn for mountains! I have lived most of my adult life in the South. Nine years in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was a rich, vibrant experience for a young woman from the west, before moving to Millbrook, Alabama and now I live in Montgomery, Alabama near Huntington, where I love to walk.
Nature will always be important to me. I grew up hiking and camping in Colorado with my grandmother and uncles and fishing on the Arkansas River. Eating fresh Rainbow trout over a fire as the sun goes down is one of my best memories.
I have been a professional gardener for over half my life, and I hope to incorporate nature into our future programs. My other hobbies include reading, music, painting, artistic study with a monthly art group, studying herbal medicine, and participating in a postgraduate spiritual direction group.
I also enjoy spending time with my family, which includes my two grown children, my daughter-in-law, and three wonderful grandsons. The youngest grandson is twelve and we love to do art projects together with my daughter. We all love to go to movies and travel to the beach. My home is rounded out by two lovable dogs, a wise cat, and a tortoise who loves music as much as I do.
I look forward to meeting everyone very soon.
Best regards,
Maria Pacheco