by Dan Stefano, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Wednesday May 9,
2012
Wading through water above her ankles isn’t anything new to
the Rev. Deb Carr. In 2004, while starting an Episcopal church in Oakdale, she
witnessed flooding left by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan.
The experience is now paying off for Carr, the new priest at
Carnegie’s Church of the Atonement, where the basement has flooded more than
once this summer.
“My daughter said to me, ‘Mom, God must think you’re in the
flood-recovery business.’ ”
From moldy church basements to missions scattered across the
globe, Carr’s life as an educator, priest and mother of four has been a busy
one. Settled since July 1 in a role essentially the same as rector — making her
the first woman to fill that position at the Washington Avenue parish — Carr is
embracing the next chapter in her well-traveled career.
“I’ve always just wanted to be obedient to God’s call,” said
Carr, who was ordained in the Episcopal Church in 2003 and previously served as
assistant to the rector at St. David’s Anglican Church in Peters.
“The people here have embraced me and loved me and been very
kind and accepting. It’s really a joy to be here.”
It took some time for Carr to officially gain her new title.
She was a part-time preacher for seven months following the departure of the
Rev. Paul Sutcliffe.
It’s a role she has prepared for all her life, though. Growing up in Shillington, Berks County, Carr attended
several churches before becoming an Episcopalian in 1985.
With a degree from Kutztown University in elementary
education and special education for the visually impaired, she combined her
passions and worked as a teacher, director of children’s ministries and
preschool director.
In the meantime, missionary work sent her to far-flung locales
such as Belize, Honduras, Kenya, Trinidad and Uganda. The trips would provide
her with some of the most meaningful moments of her life.
“In all the places I’ve been in the Third World, people who
have nothing have a great appreciation and dependence on the Lord, and they are
so filled with the joy of the Lord,” Carr said. “It’s humbling, because we have
so much.”
Carr singled out a prayer made by children in Uganda, a
country ravaged by starvation and AIDS. “They were praying, ‘Thank you, Lord, that we woke up this
morning. Thank you that my mom and dad didn’t die,’ ” she said.
Deb Carr was on staff at our former church St David's in Peters Township - 2003-2005 & 2007-2011
Thanks for posting this, Dave. I hadn't seen it. Deb is just such a great person--and a fine priest, of course, who has had some exceptional opportunities for ministry over the years. She and the good people of the Church of the Atonement are in my prayers, with affection.
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