Meet the Priest

THE REV. EDDIE GIBBONS, EPIPHANY

Get to know Eddie Gibbons, the new Priest-in-Charge at Church of the Epiphany in Cape Coral.

Father Eddie Gibbons is the Priest-in-Charge at Church of the Epiphany, Cape Coral. Father Gibbons was ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church on October 18, 1997. He joined The Episcopal Church in February 2015 and was receieved as a priest in The Episcopal Church on September 28, 2019. He most recently completed a Certificate in Anglican Studies at Nashotah House Theological Seminary, Wisconsin. Fr. Gibbons' wife, Alicia, is a trained Stephen Minister. Fr. Gibbons holds a Master in Social Work and prior to ministry as a priest in The Episcopal Church he served as a facility team chaplain at Hope Hospice. Within the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, Fr. Gibbons is currently a member of the Commission on Ministry (COM) and the Diocesan Council.

Q: What was your church experience growing up in Ireland?

A: From an early age, my church experience growing up in Ireland was very much one of a loving community. At age seven, I became an acolyte. I have vivid memories of liturgies being well attended with lots of participation by members within varied ministries such as altar guild, lectors, eucharistic ministers and visitors. We had a wonderful music program with an adult choir and a folk group. In terms of outreach and pastoral care; both parishioners and clergy ministered well together and provided strong community support. There was a lot of fun, food and fellowship which was important in terms of building relationships and supporting the wider community. There were also lots of opportunities provided for Christian formation, spiritual growth and development of one’s prayer life.

Q: What is your experience as part of The Episcopal Church, having been ordained first as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church?

A: I left active ministry as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church with no immediate plan or intention of entering into active ministry as a priest in another denomination. Rather, I chose to be in a relationship with a view to marrying. My decision to leave active ministry as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church is one that spanned over many years. It’s easy to know this in retrospect but when going through such a lengthy time of discernment and wrestling with issues, I would say that one is not always so aware. For me, this was definitely a journey of ‘..more will be revealed.’ For about a year after leaving active ministry, I continued to attend weekly liturgies and sat in the pews of Roman Catholic churches. While I very much missed celebrating the eucharist, I also had within me a deep sense of peace in terms of being in a relationship with my now wife. In many respects, I had been formed to believe that one could not be called to both the ordained priesthood and marriage. However, I had come to believe and know that this was just not true. One morning I awoke and had this, what I can only describe as, a ‘deep burning desire within me’ to not disregard my calling to ministerial priesthood. I had come to know and believe that one calling does not eradicate the other. If anything, they add so much more! This experience opened up conversations with some episcopal clergy and the beginning of my journey in The Episcopal Church.

From the beginning, the sense of inclusion that I had in The Episcopal Church was real. My first experience was one of hospitality that embodied authentic acceptance, welcome and invitation to fully participate as a member. Initially, I was pleasantly surprised by the many similarities between The Episcopal Church and the Roman Catholic church that I had been formed in. However, I also witnessed ‘inclusion, transparency and openness’ within the church in relation to LGBTQ members, married clergy and the ordination of women as deacons, priests and bishops. This had not been my previous experience within the Roman Catholic tradition and so I began to experience a more wholistic and open faith community.

From my earliest experience of forming a parish discernment group, as I began to explore my calling to be received into the Priesthood in The Episcopal Church, I discovered that members of the church had more to say in terms of polity and policies involving vestry as well as diocesan and national convention.

Q: What is your favorite part of ministry?

A: My favorite part of ministry is being able to journey with those with whom I minister among, as our book of common prayer notes: ‘…caring for young and old alike, strong and weak, rich and poor.’ As a priest, I get to do this by preaching, offering God’s forgiveness to those seeking it, giving God’s blessing and sharing in the administration of Holy Baptism, the Eucharist, and so much more. My experience of pastoral care is that I have, more often than not, received more than I could give, and I have come to realize that a ‘ministry of presence’ is so very important to many people today. While I have spent several years in formation in a residential seminary and also completed Anglican Studies later on at another seminary; I would say that formation continues on many levels throughout one’s ministry and those to whom we serve continue to form us.

Q: You hold a Masters in Social Work: how has this impacted the way you minister to your community?

A: Having a Masters in Social Work (MSW) has certainly helped to shape my ministry on many levels. One of the most important things social workers learn is that networking in the community is extremely important and this is true in ministry too. There are many social work tools that I have learned through practice that assist when caring for someone from a psycho-social perspective. Some of my favorites over the years have led to my approaching situations from a systemic, task oriented, and solution focus. Part of my work in the past was with teenagers who were going through legal processes for varied reasons and I discovered that practicing ‘motivational interviewing’ as a tool for change was often very effective. This can be true in a ministry setting also. On an awareness level, I have gained insight into the way in which family systems theory can unfold within a faith community. I have also gained experience in working in specific areas related to mental health, addiction, and child protection including the fostering and adoption process.

Q: How is it being relatively new at a church during the pandemic?

A: One experience for me, I would say, is that it has been more challenging getting to know and connect with people both locally and throughout the diocese. Our opportunity to gather in person has been significantly restrained throughout the pandemic and this has led to many challenges. It has been difficult not being able to visit parishioners when, for many, they needed pastoral care most. Some people have been more isolated than others which, in turn, has been difficult. At the same time, this experience of ‘pandemic-distance’ has led to new opportunities and ways of doing ministry together. Like it or not, we are all very familiar with ZOOM by now. Livestreaming of worship services, online scripture studies and meetings have assisted us in staying connected, but our desire to have fellowship with one-another while gathered in-person remains strong. Good fun, food and fellowship simply cannot be replaced and as a Eucharistic people, they remain important to us for all time.

Q: Your wife Alicia is a trained Stephen Minister. How does she assist you at Epiphany?

A: Alicia, first and foremost, is an engaged listener and is always present in the moment when caring for others. She has a servant heart and is always ready to respond to the needs of others in the community. For me personally, more often than not, she is also a voice of reason. More than this, she is a committed prayer partner. She is a trained Stephen Minister but due to the pandemic, this ministry has been put on hold for a time at Epiphany. That said, Alicia is planning to train as a Stephen Ministry Leader and we are hopeful of bringing the ministry back to life again at Epiphany in the near future. In addition to working full time at the Area Agency on Aging, she feels called to respond in ministry as a choir member, lector and Eucharistic Minister / Visitor.