The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

On June 15th, Gerry Brennan of Cathlamet was ordained in Seattle as a priest in the Episcopal Church, by the Bishop Greg Rickel. Gerry is a long-time resident of Wahkiakum County and a long-time member of St. James Episcopal Church in Cathlamet. She and her husband Mike moved to Cathlamet in 1973. They raised two children here, Sean Michael and Kellie Kay. They enrolled Sean in St. James Preschool in 1986, where Gerry was an active parent and eventually joined the St. James Board of Directors and joined the church as well.

In 1994 Gerry began her studies for ministry under what was then known as the Total Common Ministry program, and along with several others was commissioned as a church leader. In 2000 she was awarded the Bishop’s Cross for her work with the children and families of Wahkiakum County. She recently renewed her studies when the congregation asked her to consider becoming their priest, and was ordained as a Deacon in 2020.

In reflecting on her new direction in life, Gerry said: “I see opportunities for myself and others to explore the world through faith. We have a ministry at St. James, the Family Center, that is a central service we offer to the families and children of Wahkiakum County. I am so proud of the staff and volunteers. They brought the Family Center through a recession and a pandemic and served our community well. We kept our doors open during setbacks and we will be here for those who need us, and those whom we need. I look forward to serving the community in this new role.”