The Rev. Stephanie Soper was ordained into the Sacred Order of the Priesthood on Nov. 24 in a service held at the Church of the Ascension, Orlando. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin S. Holcomb, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, presided.
She was one of seven in the diocese ordained as transitional deacons on Jan. 11 at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando. The new priest has accepted a part-time role as curate at Ascension, Orlando.
Soper sensed God’s call to ordained ministry at lunch with a dear friend and mentor, the Rev. Sarah Bronos, in December 2018. “There were likely many signs that God had ministry in mind earlier in my life than I realized,” Soper said. “I held a Thanksgiving Communion service for my grandparents one year and crafted what appears to be a clay chalice at my predominantly Jewish school in fifth grade.”
Her call to ministry was difficult to accept at first. “I spent the first couple of years praying for God to close the door if it was not his will,” she said. “As doors and opportunities continued to open to me toward education and ordination, I found the Lord blessing me with a quiet confidence to walk the path he was leading. The prayers and support of my family, friends and church family have very much comforted me throughout the last five years of discernment.
Caleb Soper reads the Epistle lesson with guidance from the Rev. Ryan Cook. | PHOTO: Gerald Wu
“I feel we are incredibly blessed to be a part of the Diocese of Central Florida and what God is doing here,” Soper said. “I shared with Bishop Justin that attending the final worship at the clergy conference felt like coming home; the Lord blessed me with a flood of memories of my journey with him and so many of the people he’s placed in my life to encourage this journey.”
She had the same four presenters for both her diaconate and priestly ordinations: her husband, Chris; her best friend, Megan Clark; her mentor and dear friend, the Rev. Sarah Bronos; and her rector and dear brother, the Rev. Ryan Cook.
Bronos and Clark vested Soper. Holcomb presented her with a Bible.
During the examination, she thought, “Lord willing, I do, and I will,” she said. During the consecration, she was struck by a twofold sentiment when the bishop and other priests laid their hands on her head. “The first was that the weight of their hands embodies the weight I have felt in this calling, but the beauty is that those hands are not pressing down in a way that feels pressuring but in solidarity as those who know and share the weight of this calling,” she said. “Just prior to the consecration, when they sang the Veni around me, it was such a powerful moment. At one time, I could pick out individual voices of those who have supported me through this journey, and at the same time, they were so unified and indistinguishable that it felt like a cocoon of love around me.”
Her first act as a priest was to offer the peace. “I wondered ahead of time if I might cry or choke out the words when the time came, but I was so flooded with joy and blessing, and it was so meaningful to offer Christ’s peace to the loving faces of those gathered.”
Soper and her husband have two sons, Ryan, 12, and Caleb, 9. The Soper men were part of the service, with Chris playing drums, Ryan serving as the crucifer and Caleb reading the Epistle lesson.
As a newly ordained priest, she feels much gratitude to many. “I am so grateful to God for his love and steadfastness; it truly is a joy and privilege to serve him in this way,” she said. “And I am so grateful to my family, extended family, in-law family, church family and many friends who have modeled and encouraged my faith and love for the Lord.”