Julia Christian
Welcome, Rev. Julia W. Christian
O n July 15, the Rev. Julia W. Christian joined St. Margaret's as Curate. Julia comes to St. Margaret's from Alexandria, Va., where in May she completed her Master of Divinity degree at Virginia Theological Seminary. She was ordained June 11 as a Deacon by Bishop Hughes at St. Paul's Cathedral in San Diego. Julia will be responsible for minis-try in social concerns and out reach, pastoral visitation, and renewal programs.
Julia grew up in New York and Virginia. She attended St. Anne's School in Charlottesville, Va., Smith College in Northampton, Mass., and Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. Her hobbies include bridge, crossword puzzles, and travel. She's married ! to Al Christian, who retired from the U. S. Navy where, as an attorney, he served in the Judge Advocate General Corps.
While at Virginia Seminary, Al also took courses in the Lay School of Theology and received a diploma in Theological Studies. They have one son, James, who lives in Virginia.
Julia and Al lived in San Diego for 11 years prior to their move back to Virginia to attend seminary. They were members of St. Timothy's, a mission of the Diocese of San Diego in Rancho Penasquitos. Prior to attending seminary, Julia worked in commercial real estate, specializing in new home development and commercial finance.
After meeting with the Vestry in June, Julia said, "I'm delighted to join the staff at St. Margaret's. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to begin and grow in my ministry amidst a vibrant community of faithful people.
"I look forward to working with — and learning from — Brad, Dan, Jean, and the many other dedicated members of the staff. St. Margaret's is in a wonderful position to be an important witness of Christ's love to the people of the Coachella Valley. I'm very excited to be a part of St. Margaret's expanding mission to people of all ages."
Jan 14, 1995
The Ordination of a Priest
There was hardly a dry eye when Julia Wadsworth Christian took her vows to be an ordained priest on Saturday, Jan. 14 at St. Margaret's.
The beautiful service was presided over by the Right Rev. Gethin B. Hughes. Her presenters were The Rev. Brad Hall, The Rev. Dan Rondeau, Alvern D. Christian, James W. Christian, Nancy Brennan, Peter Brennan, Mel Carr, Jane Curtis, John Curtis, Bruce Norman, Debbie Reber, Alice Sleight, Jean Smith and Nancy Watson.
The Rev. Julie will continue as curate at St. Margaret's with ongoing work in outreach, pastoral care, hospital and home calling.
December 1996
A Personal Note From Rev Julie
Thanks, for the memories
Dear Friends....
If there were ever a case of "mixed emotions," Al and I are experiencing it. The past 2˝ years have been a wonderful time for us. You welcomed us so graciously into St. Margaret's and made our stay here delightful. To borrow a line from a much more famous Desert resident, "Thanks for the memories." We will miss you all greatly. I appreciate all your encouragement and your participation in the various ministries and activities with which I have been involved. Most of all, we appreciate your caring and your love for us.
As hard as, leaving St. Margaret's is, we are very excited about our new congregation: St. Francis of Assisi in Simi Valley. They are a wonderful community of bright, energetic and enthusiastic people. The church is new (just two years old), and Simi Valley is a lovely area. We are looking forward to making new friends and settling into a new home. Since it is not very far away (about three hours by car), home of the Reagan Presidential Library, and right on the way to Santa Barbara, we are counting on all of you to come visit us. St. Francis is located at 280 Royal Ave. in Simi Valley, just east of Madera, off the I88 Freeway.
The mailing address is P.O. Box 327, Simi Valley, CA 93062. The phone number is (805) 526-5141; my e-mail address for those of you on-line is JWCHRIS@.aol.com or Julia Christian@ecunet.parti. We hope you'll visit frequently.
The Desert has always been one of our favorite places for little mini-vacations, so we expect to come back for R&R periodically. We will look forward to seeing you whenever we return for a visit.
A Girl Scout song I learned many years ago says, "Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver and the. other gold." We will treasure our St. Margaret's friends even more than silver or gold —for you are far more precious. Merry Christmas!
June 15, 1997 the people of St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church instituted the Rev. Julia W. Christian as their Vicar.
© 1998 - 2008Saint Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Palm Desert CA" All rights reserved. Please contact the church for permission to use any of this material