The Rev. Mark Winward has been named as the new Rector for the Episcopal Church of the Holy Family in Jasper, Georgia. Father Winward’s first service at Holy Family will be on Sunday, August 3rd. All are welcome to attend with receptions to follow after both the 8:00 am and 10:30 am services.
A native of East Hartford, CT, Father Winward is a recently retired Navy Captain in the Chaplain Corps and a prior Navy Unrestricted Line Officer. His last assignment was as the Senior Chaplain at the National Security Agency and Central Security Service at Fort Meade, MD.
Father Winward wrote his Master’s Thesis at Ridley Hall, Cambridge University, UK; earned his Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1997; and his Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2007. He was ordained to the diaconate in the Episcopal Church in 1997 and to the priesthood in 1998.
Upon his graduation in 1997, Father Winward accepted a call to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Newport News, Virginia as Assistant Rector. During this time, he co-founded the Committee for Science, Technology, and Faith for the Episcopal Church. In 1999, he accepted a call as Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Saco, ME.
After supporting recovery efforts at the Pentagon following the attacks on 9-11, Father Winward felt a strong calling to return to active duty as a Chaplain. Since 2002, in addition to his numerous joint military, Navy and Marine Corps assignments, he completed assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and served on the faculty of the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA, and the Special Operations University in Tampa, FL. Father Winward has been married to his beloved bride, KC, for 37 years and has two adult sons, Christian and Matthew.