October 30, 2024 By The Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist
The Rt. Rev. Julia Whitworth, the newly-consecrated Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, will visit Hingham on Tuesday, November 19 to preside at a special 6 p.m. service to celebrate the institution of The Rev. Edward Thornley as the Rector of the Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist. The joyous occasion will be Bishop Whitworth’s first such service. Her consecration took place on October 19. She is the first woman to lead the diocese.
Father Thornley is just the ninth rector in the parish’s 140-year history. He succeeds The Rev. Timothy Schenck, who served as Rector from 2009 to 2022.
“I am incredibly excited to begin this new chapter at St. John’s,” said Fr. Thornley who began his ministry at St. John’s this past July. “I look forward to serving this vibrant community and working together to share God’s love in Hingham and beyond.”
The ritual exchange of gifts between Bishop Whitworth, Father Thornley, and representatives of the congregation will be a highlight of the ceremony. This tradition symbolizes the shared ministry and commitment between a rector and their community. The Rev. Samuel Lee Wood of The Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Times Square, N.Y., will deliver the sermon.
Fr. Thornley, a native of Canterbury, U.K., studied theology at the University of Exeter and trained for ordination at Westcott House, Cambridge, and at Yale Divinity School. He was ordained in the Church of England in 2010 and served in the Dioceses of Norwich and London. Fr. Thornley moved to the U.S. in 2018 and served as a school chaplain in Texas and Washington, D.C. He is married to Dr. Devon Abts, an academic theologian who serves as the Director of Operations and Research at The Clemente Course in the Humanities. They reside in the rectory with their two cats.
St. John’s is the largest Episcopal parish in the South Shore deanery and the eighth-largest among the 161 parishes and missions in the Diocese of Massachusetts. The church seeks to share the Good News of the Gospel through engaging worship, faithful service, and life-long Christian formation while joyfully living out our faith in this community and the world.