Bishop Brewer and the Rev. Mason Waldhauser during the Feb. 5 celebration of new ministry | Photo Credit: The Rev. Canon Scott Holcombe

During the Rev. Mason Waldhauser’s conditional ordination to the priesthood on Dec. 9, 2022, Dr. Garwood Anderson, dean of Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin, reminded him that the call of a priest is a call to follow Christ in servanthood. “Because you follow the great Shepherd, you will be a good shepherd,” Anderson said. Having first sensed a call to the ministry in childhood, Waldhauser has the opportunity to live out that truth as the new rector at St. Margaret’s, Inverness, and he is doing so with grace, humility and the conviction that he is exactly where God wants him.

Waldhauser had a winding path to priesthood in The Episcopal Church, moving from his early years in a Baptist church to the Anglican Church in North America to serving two churches in a splinter denomination. He has lived, worked and studied in places ranging from Baltimore, Maryland; to Oxford, England; to Newport Beach, California; and elsewhere, including his seminary experience at Nashotah House and a recent stint as assistant priest at Trinity, Vero Beach.

“It was worth the wait,” Waldhauser said of his most recent ordination, which left him feeling as though he had come home at last. “I’m really appreciative for how Anglicanism seeks to hold together people from opposing parties from the get-go: Catholics and evangelicals, high church and Puritans, conservatives and liberals,” he said. “That’s part of the Anglican DNA. … God does bring together in one body people from across the aisle, and I really wanted to be a part of that.”

The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer conducted Waldhauser’s December ordination as well as his celebration of his new ministry on Feb. 5, 2023, reminding the congregation of its heritage in its patron, Saint Margaret, of caring for people in need.

According to Waldhauser, the church is living out that heritage well. “What I can tell so far is these people really have big hearts,” he said. He pointed to the death of a parishioner that took place during his first week at the church. “As I got to know that situation, I realized all these parishioners were already in contact with him and visiting of their own accord. … They’ve really taken it upon themselves to care for one another and reach out in a pastoral way.”

St. Margaret’s also cares for its community, he said. “We have a food pantry here that’s open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I attended those during my first week, and I was really struck by the volume of people that we serve. We had over 50 people, and that’s just individuals; many of them have families that are being fed too.”

“There were probably a dozen volunteers between the two days,” Waldhauser added. “I was really impressed that all these people were giving up so much time during the week to volunteer … they have a real heart for the hungry here.

“We have another food ministry on Fridays called ‘Feed My Sheep,’ and they serve a hot lunch for anyone who wants to come in,” he said. “I’m just really struck by how much these people love each other … I’ve also been struck by how they seem open, ready for change, poised for growth and excited for what’s next.”

And Waldhauser has taken the wisdom of his mentors to heart. “God has me here to love on these people,” he said. “It’s not about, as a brand-new rector, ‘It’s my opportunity to spread my wings; I get to do my own thing.’

“I’m realizing, mainly through conversations with Canon Scott [Holcombe, canon to the ordinary] that this isn’t the opportunity to design the church the way I want it,” he said. “This is the opportunity to love on the people. That’s what I’m called to as a priest.”