August 12, 2024 By Carol Britton Meyer
The Rev. Edward Thornley, often known as “Father Ed,” was called as the ninth Rector of The Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Hingham this summer.
He looks forward to helping the church community live its mission to “share the Good News of the Gospel through engaging worship, faithful service, and lifelong Christian formation while joyfully living out our faith in this community and the world.”
Throughout his career, Fr. Ed has specialized in theological education, spiritual formation, community outreach, and intergenerational ministry, and considers continuing that work a high priority in his new role at St. John’s. “I love that this is an active parish, where people enjoy being together and serving the wider community, not just Christians,” he said.
This is accomplished through the church’s many outreach and youth programs and other activities. “We believe that everyone is a beloved child of God, therefore we should love everyone as Jesus taught us to do and serve others — This is a passion of mine. It’s also important to listen to others even if we don’t agree on everything. If we take all of this seriously, people in the wider community might learn to trust churches again.”
A Canterbury, England native, Fr. Ed grew up on the Kent coast before studying theology at the University of Exeter, training for ordination, and studying pastoral theology at Westcott House in Cambridge, and at Yale Divinity School. It was here that he met his wife, Devon Abts — an academic theologian (PhD, King’s College London) and Massachusetts native with family living close by in Hamilton. At the time they met, they were both working on master’s degrees — his in pastoral theology and hers in the arts in religion.
‘We love Hingham’
Fr. Ed and Devon, and their two cats, Spyro and Duke — who are originally from Dereham, Norfolk, England — enjoy being part of the Hingham community. “My new role as Rector of St. John’s brought us to Hingham, which neither of us had visited before,” Fr. Ed said. “We love the town — it’s so peaceful. We both grew up on the coast, and so it’s wonderful to be near the ocean again.”
While Fr. Ed misses England, he’s glad to be here. “It’s a similar environment to the one I grew up in — the suburbs and on the coast — and it is also close to Boston and Devon’s family. We love this part of the world.”
After being ordained in The Church of England in 2010, he served in various roles as a parish priest and a chaplain, particularly in schools and universities — before returning to the United States and the Episcopal Church in 2018. He then served as chaplain at an Episcopal School in Fort Worth, Texas, before accepting a position at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church and Day School in Washington, DC, as Day School Chaplain and Associate Rector.
While in that position, he discovered a calling to return to parish ministry. During the discernment process, he came across the job posting for St. John’s, applied for the position, interviewed in person in early May, and was called as the ninth Rector soon thereafter, starting in his new role on July 1.
‘Empowering others to use their gifts’
“Worship, prayer, and spirituality are all really important — along with putting our faith into practice,” Fr. Ed said. “That’s one of the reasons I was attracted to St. John’s. This parish prioritizes empowering the whole congregation to use their gifts for the good of all. We have so many talented members here.”
Elizabeth Moulds, co-chair of the 11-member search committee with Rob Hess, said they were “fortunate to review a deep pool of candidates, and Fr. Ed’s strong preaching immediately stood out. He is able to connect the readings to daily life with insight and humor. We appreciated his direct experience ministering across a wide spectrum of demographics, including youth, and his enthusiasm for our community as a whole. We are delighted to welcome Fr. Ed to St. John’s as our ninth rector and are excited for our next chapter together.”
Fr. Ed, who also plays the acoustic guitar and is writing a PhD in Divinity at University of Aberdeen, and Abts, a recently certified master gardener, enjoy spending time with family and friends, hiking, cycling, gardening, and traveling — especially in Europe — and share a passion for cooking. “We’re vegetarians, but not pushy about it!” he said.
Visit https://www.stjohns-hingham.org/ for further information about St. John’s.