To celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination on March 25, The Rev. Paul Hamilton, priest-in-charge of Holy Faith, Dunnellon, did things a little differently.

Instead of hosting a service at his church, he asked to hold the service at  St. Mary’s, Belleview. Instead of a bishop leading the service, Hamilton was introduced and guided through the ordinand’s questions by Gladstone Sinckler, the most senior member of Holy Faith. Hamilton worked with Sinckler’s brother in a parish in Brooklyn, New York. Donna Hernandez, senior warden of Holy Faith, and Linda Thomas, senior warden of St. Mary’s, conducted the examination.

Gladstone Sinckler of Holy Faith asks the ordinand questions. | Photo Credit: Holy Faith, Dunnellon

Although the service was held during Lent, the banners and altar cloths were red, the clergy wore red, and there were altar flowers. The choirs from both churches sang. The Gospel lesson was read in English and Spanish. The Very Rev. Lisa Wimmer, St. Mary’s rector and dean of the Northwest Deanery, presided at the service with The Rev. Canon Luis De la Cruz, diocesan canon for Hispanic ministry and rector of St. John’s, Kissimmee, serving as gospeler. Wimmer had offered to have the dinner catered and provide wait staff, but some of Holy Faith’s parishioners cooked the meal instead, and St. Mary’s parishioners waited on tables.

“Father Paul was once an active parishioner,” Wimmer explained. “I was honored to be asked to be a part of this celebration of his 50 years of being ordained. He asked if the service could occur at St. Mary’s so that churches in the Northwest Deanery might participate, since St. Mary’s is centrally located in the deanery.”

Hamilton has also done things differently in obeying his calling. He has served as a priest, a headmaster, a psychotherapist and a college professor. “I like having more than one role and more than one identity,” he said. “It is refreshing to go from one to the other.”

Hamilton, celebrant and preacher for the service, spoke about how God uses his servants. “I’m so pleased how all my positions have dovetailed. Look how God has and does use Paul Hamilton. One of my therapy patients is a Roman Catholic priest who speaks on the phone daily to an exhausted young priest in Kyiv. The patient shares with me the horrors and the depression of the young priest. I support my patient as he calls back to Ukraine to encourage the beleaguered priest.”

(L-R) The Rev. Paul Hamilton, The Very Rev. Lisa Wimmer, The Rev. Canon Luis De la Cruz | Photo Credit: St. Mary’s, Belleview

Hamilton is looking forward to the future at his church. “There is still much work to be done at Holy Faith,” he said. “We are about to begin the first construction project in 58 years. For 58 years, the parish has been saving money in a fund. It is an older parish. We’re doing this for people we don’t know yet. It is so appropriate, given our parish’s name.

“We have welcomed a Jewish congregation to use our sanctuary because they had no home of their own,” he said. “We sponsored a Seder for 60 women.

“We have also begun a Spanish worship service, thanks to the help of Canon De la Cruz,” Hamilton added. “And we have a Spanish candidate for reception into the diocese who continues to receive support from Canon De la Cruz.”

The parish is also developing a new website. “It should be up and active in May,” Hamilton said.

During his time at Holy Faith, Hamilton has been a part of forming Dunnellon Community Services Inc. “This is a nonprofit corporation that has achieved full charity standing,” he said. “It has two health clinics for the uninsured. We’re raising funds to purchase an old ambulance. The plan is for staff nurses to seek out people with diabetes and care for their wounds.”

Dunnellon Mayor William White and Deputy Mayor Valerie Hanchar present Hamilton with the citation declaring March 25 “Father Paul C.E. Hamilton Day.” | Photo Credit: Dunnellon City Council

DCSI also plans to offer immigrant services, including classes in English as a Second Language.

Clergy, parishioners and Hamilton’s relatives from Sarasota, Florida, whom he hadn’t seen in 20 years, all attended the anniversary, but they weren’t the only ones celebrating the event. The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, diocesan bishop, and The Rev. Canon Scott Holcombe, canon to the ordinary, sent letters of congratulations that were read during the service. The city of Dunnellon also declared March 25, 2022, “Father Paul C.E. Hamilton Day.” The honor was announced during the service, and he received the citation at the April 11 city council meeting.