Good morning! I am Corby Zeren and I am your deacon intern. It will be my pleasure to worship and minister with you for the next nine months. And it is my honor to learn from the Venerable Father Carl Wright, archdeacon of the Diocese of Maryland.
I was born in the Brooklyn Navy Yard Hospital on October 29, 1943. WWII was on and my father was the radio/radar officer on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. I was “christened” in the Episcopal Cathedral in Garden City, NY, on Easter Eve, 1944.
The first “home” I remember was in Rockville Centre, Long Island. While we lived there, my brother was born, in April 1946, and I walked to Sunday school at the nearby Congregational Church and the local elementary school, with neighborhood children.
In 1950, my parents realized that Long Island was being overdeveloped. We moved to a rural farming community in New Jersey, Livingston. I rode school buses from 2nd grade through high school.
I graduated from Livingston High School in June, 1961, bound for Duke University, Durham, N.C. There I majored in English, and discovered boys and the Episcopal Church. I served as the altar guild at the Episcopal Student Center, was mentored and prepared for confirmation by the Episcopal chaplain. I was confirmed by the Bishop of Newark in my senior year of college.
I had met my incipient husband, a mechanical engineering student, at Duke. We were married in St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Roseland, N.J., after my graduation in 1965. We returned to Durham for his senior year. When he had graduated in 1966, we moved to LaCrosse, WI, for six months’ training at the Trane Company. We were assigned by Trane to the Baltimore area. Our first house was in Timonium, MD; then a townhouse in Towson. We attended Trinity Church, Towson.
We found a charismatic priest at Nativity, Cedarcroft. When our priest-friend was called as vicar of Christ’s Church, Baltimore, we went with him.
Meanwhile, my husband and I had become neophyte sailors. I had also found a new profession – nursing. After seven years as a surgical nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Towson, my husband and I found a wonderful house in Annapolis, MD. We moved to Annapolis in December, 1979. I went to work at Anne Arundel General Hospital in February, 1980. We continued to “commute” to Christ’s Church until 1985, when the diminishing congregation could no longer afford to keep the church open. Christ’s Church was closed and we found ourselves accepted at St. Anne’s Parish, Annapolis.
We participated in Education for Ministry at St. Anne’s. I became aware of a call that I could only identify as ordained ministry. I undertook a combined exploration of education at St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute and the diocese’s “exploring our ministry.” I completed my masters in theology degree, but was denied acceptance into the postulancy program. I continued to serve at St. Anne’s in all manner of ministries. My husband and I attended and participated in Cursillo.
Life went on. In 2000, I left my employment at Anne Arundel hospital. After the 09/11 experience in 2001, we went to explore our post-career life, sailing. I came to know that this way of life was not for me. We came home and I went back to work. In due time, my husband (of 42 years) went away, to pursue his destiny.
Meanwhile, I was invited by my rector, Amy Richter, to explore my potential for ordained ministry. And so, “here I am, Lord,” answering the call of so many years ago.
And delighted to be here with you.
