FR. JAMIE PARSLEY, Rector
Fr. Jamie has served at St. Stephen’s since 2008, first as Priest-in-Charge and as Rector since 2019.
Fr. Jamie’s spirituality is squarely centered on a deep love for God, a passionate following of Jesus and an all-encompassing respect for all people and living beings. As he preaches again and again: “Love God. Love others. It’s really just that simple.” The Mass and the daily offices of Morning and Evening Prayer are the foundations of his spiritual life and his identity as a priest. He has worked hard throughout his life toward full-inclusion of all people within the Church.
Fr. Jamie is a long-time vegan and a committed advocate for animal rights. He is also very committed to the cause of eco-justice and creation care of the environment. He is an Oblate of St. Benedict at St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota and belongs to the Fellowship of the Society of St. John the Evangelist.
Before coming to St. Stephen’s, Fr. Jamie served as Assisting Priest at Gethsemane Cathedral in Fargo and as Chaplain to All Saints Episcopal Church, Valley City, ND. He served on Diocesan Council, was the Chair of the Commission on Ministry and was the editor of the Diocesan newspaper, The Sheaf. He also served as Executive Assistant to the Bishop. He was also a Deputy to the Episcopal Church’s General Convention and was a member of the Board of Governors of Episcopal Life, the news publication of the Episcopal Church.
Fr. Jamie is also an award-winning and accomplished poet. He is the author of fifteen books of poems, including This Grass (2010), with paintings by St. Stephen’s parishioner Gin Templeton, Fargo, 1957 (2010), which chronicles the June 20, 1957 tornado that struck Fargo and most recently, Only Then (2018) and, most recently, Echo (2023), a book of poems written in reaction to paintings by artist Marjorie Schlossman, and Salt (2023) which chronicles the grief he experienced following his mother’s death. He is also the author of a book of short fiction, The Downstairs Tenant, published in 2014 by NDSU Press. Additionally, he is a playwright who has written several one-act plays and, more recently, a full-length play.
Fr. Jamie is an Associate Poet Laureate for the state of North Dakota. In 2022, he became Poet-in-Residence at Concordia College, Moorhead. He also teaches on-line at the University of Jamestown.
He holds Master of Fine Arts Degree in Writing from Vermont College and a Master’s Degree from Nashotah House Seminary.
He is an avid collector of books, ikons and mid-century furniture. He especially loves reading Japanese, Chinese, and Latin American poetry, is deeply interested in Eastern Orthodox spirituality, as well as his beloved poets George Herbert, Elizabeth Bishop and R.S. Thomas.
His blog (with his posted sermons) is: www.jamieparsley.blogspot.com.
DEACON JOHN ANDERSON
Deacon John was ordained a Deacon on June 14, 2020.
He is a native of Fargo, where he was educated in the Catholic school system. He later attended NDSU and United Theological Seminary in Minneapolis, where he graduated with an Master of Divinity Degree. As a United Methodist pastor, he served several Methodist congregations in North Dakota.
He decided to make a change in his vocation and began his journey to become a vocational deacon in the Episcopal Church in 2015. He currently serves as a chaplain at Sheyenne Crossings Care Center in West Fargo and Eventide Care Center in Fargo.
He and his wife Jessica live in Moorhead, Minnesota. They have three children.
DEACON SUZANNE MACEWAN (retired)
Deacon Suzanne MacEwan is a native of Chicago, Illinois. Ordained a Deacon in 2003, she served in the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming, most recently at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, Wyoming until retiring in 2020 when she moved to Fargo and found St. Stephen’s. We are very grateful to have Deacon Suzanne regularly help out at Holy Eucharist on Sunday mornings
Organist JAMES MACKAY
James Mackay has been the organist of St. Stephen’s for over thirteen years. He has also served as organist at Nativity Catholic Church and St. Mary’s Cathedral, Fargo.
James is a native of Hot Springs, South Dakota.
He and his husband William, live in Moorhead, Minnesota.
JESSICA ANDERSON, Senior Warden
BRYAN GELINSKE, Junior Warden
