Holcomb Ordains Associate Rector to Priesthood at Grace, Ocala

On Saturday, Aug. 8, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin S. Holcomb ordained the Rev. Josh Reed to the priesthood at Grace, Ocala, where Reed serves as associate rector.

Reed has been in ministry for 15 years, but he is far from the first person in his family to follow that path. “My parents have always been in ministry, and my grandpa has been a preacher for 60 years,” he explained. “This way of life is part of my family’s story. I always knew I had a calling to this. I once had an internship with a Hall of Fame quarterback lined up with ESPN, and I turned it down. I made a commitment in high school at a church retreat to dedicate my life to ministry, but I can’t really remember a day when I didn’t sense this.”

His calling has also been a path of patience. “I have worked in the nondenominational church for most of my adult life, mainly as a children’s and youth minister,” he said. “My wife, Caitlin, and I have always wanted to end up here, in the Anglican tradition, but I would say, ‘I’m not sure how to get there.’ I can say that it has come about through us walking through open doors and hearing God calling us. I will always remember when my wife sent me the link to Grace’s website, and she said, ‘These are our people.’ And here we are!”

He teared up during the examination, the charge and the consecration. “I could have cried more, but I gathered myself,” he said. “I very greatly felt both normal, as in that I do feel called to this and have for all my life, and also that I had a sense of heaviness, in that it is a joyful weight to have this task and opportunity to live and serve in this sacred order. As the priests gathered around me, I felt the support and partnership of people to learn from and lean on in the days and years ahead of me.”

His first act as an ordained priest was to offer the peace. “God’s peace is what I long for, and that passes all understanding,” he said. “So it is fitting that I should begin that way, as we all do, and I plan to bookend my life with that same phrase; I’d love those to be my final words.”

As Reed offered the peace, his thoughts were also on the first Sunday he would celebrate, which would be Aug. 16, and the baptism of his 8-month-old daughter, Maisie, and the joy that would dance within him at that time. “I want to join with what God has already begun and with whatever I am called into as a priest,” he said.

Reed is thankful to everyone who has been part of his journey. “I can’t possibly list everyone,” he said. “I thank my wife and our two children, Graham and Maisie; my parents, Doug and Val; and my whole family. I’m thankful for Father Frans and all the clergy and staff of Grace, and for our whole Grace family and all of my friends who have been on this journey with us.”

He will continue in his roles of preaching, teaching, pastoral care and discipleship in addition to his new priestly responsibilities, including celebrating the Eucharist. He will also have some involvement in the Ocala community. “I’m on the board of a local nonprofit called Wear Gloves, and we try to stay active in Ocala.”

Reed was ordained to the diaconate on Nov. 15, 2025, at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando. He has a master of arts in ministry from Portland Seminary and a bachelor of theology from Ozark Christian College.