The Reverend Dr. Eugene (Gene) McDowell joins us filled with hope and excitement.  After reading our parish profile, he truly felt God was calling him to us and us to him. Now together, we await the living out of this call with grace and conviction.

This past year, Gene served the people of St. Paul’s, Riverside, Connecticut as their pastoral leader (‘Interim Rector’).Gene’s interim assignment was for the duration of their interim period which has now concluded with the calling and arrival of a permanent Rector.  According to all indicators, both the parish and Gene have experienced a great year.

Gene was born in Spartanburg, SC and continues to own a small farm, complete with four horses and assorted dogs, in a small community between Charlotte and Asheville, NC.   Gene and his wife Cathy, who is a Nurse- Practitioner, have a grown daughter, Laura McDowell-Townsend.  Laura ( Becca) is also a nurse and works with the hospital at UNC- Chapel Hill. Gene and Cathy plan to keep their farm, horses, etc.

Gene is a graduate of Wofford College- BA (Spartanburg, SC), Berkeley Divinity School at Yale- MDiv, and Boston University- ThD. He has over 20 years of experience as a parish priest, and prior to ordination in 1986, was a Professor of Theology at Brevard College (Brevard, NC). Gene is a Richard Hooker scholar and has recently been working on new curricula with the Department of Ministry Development in New York City.  In the spring of 2008, Gene taught at the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University. He is now on The National Board for Berkley Divinity School at Yale.

In the 1980’s he co-founded a wilderness education school and continues to lead youth in backcountry and wilderness programs.  He also organized the youth response to Hurricane Katrina for the Diocese of Western North Carolina.

Prior to joining St. Paul’s, Riverside, Gene served as a Canon Theologian to the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina. He has been active in the national Episcopal Church (ECUSA) and is a reader and grader of the General Ordination Examinations for new clergy. Also on a national level, Gene served as Vice Chair for the Standing Committee between General Conventions – National Concerns.

Having been born and raised in North Dakota, just south of Bismarck, Deanna attended the University of North Dakota, but finished her B.S. in Mathematics at U. Mass., Boston. In 1994 she accepted a one year appointment to teach Math at Nantucket High School “on a lark- and for the fun of being on Nantucket for a year”. It is 2009- she is still here! She taught here for 10 years, during which time she commuted to Boston to complete her M.Ed. Deanna met her husband, Rich, in Boston before coming to the island. Then a mutual fund accountant in Boston he followed her and became a plumbing contractor in order to stay on the island. After 13 years on Nantucket, they are delighted to be raising their 2 children (Aidan 8, Erin 5) here….while enjoying the beach, biking, gardening and sailing. Deanna also loves to read, and play chess with her family…she doesn’t doubt her son Aidan will beat her before too long!