Rev. Linda was born and raised on Long Island, New York, in a loving and secure family home, brought up in the Conservative Baptist tradition.  She graduated with her first Associates in General Studies from Suffolk Community College before moving to Miami Beach, Florida with her first spouse, becoming affiliated with the Southern Baptist church.  Her second Associates was from Southern Theological Seminary as a seminary spouse, with her degree as Associates in Ministry.  From there was a short trek to Danville, Pennsylvania where she began to raise her two children, Benjamin and Rachael, and then began the 19-year career as a Navy wife.

Linda completed her Bachelor’s Degree through Wayland Baptist University in Honolulu, Hawaii, focusing primarily on Scripture and Greek studies.  Hawaii is where Linda was confirmed an Episcopalian and began to ponder the possibility of ordination.  Her final military move was to Waldorf, Maryland, where she enrolled in a double master’s program at Washington Theological Union and Loyola University; her studies focused primarily on the theology of Karl Rahner, Greek and Pastoral Counseling with a Masters in Pastoral Studies and a Masters in Pastoral Counseling.  Upon completion of these degrees she was viewed toward ordination, entering Virginia Theological Seminary for 2 years, receiving the traditional MDiv.

Her first church as Assistant was St. John’s Episcopal Church, Olney, Maryland where she was ordained a priest in 2002.  St. John’s was a parish allowing her to expand her sense of priesthood, including a Contemplative Eucharist using prayer beads.  Since then she has served in a variety of parishes as long-term supply, Interim, sabbatical supply and rector, as well as a fitness trainer for a few years both at a local gym and in homes.  After her time as Interim at St. John’s-in-the-Mountains, Stowe, Vermont, she became priest-in-charge, eventually rector at St. Bartholomew’s, Laytonsville, Maryland, where she served for 10 years, introducing this parish to prayer beads and encouraging them to build their beautiful labyrinth.  She retired for the first time in 2021 only to be called back into full time ministry as Interim at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, College Park from November 2021 to June 2024. She focused primarily on healing the people through an initial healing Eucharist from the loss of their rector who left under difficult circumstances and individual meetings from this unexpected turn of events.  During the early days of her ministry, her marriage took a downward turn, eventually ending in divorce.  But during those dark and very difficult days she met her wife, Susan Schreiner, to whom she has been married for 19 years.  Together they have become the Moms to Benjamin, his wife, Jennifer, and grandmothers to Elliot and David.  Their first home was in Silver Spring, Maryland where they lived for 17 years; after retirement and the need to find less stairs, they moved to a one-level condominium in Reston, Virginia where they currently reside with 2 dogs and 1 cat.  Both Linda and Susan are now fully retired, looking forward to the future of what retirement and expanding horizons will mean for them.

Linda’s favorite poem is ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost as this has been a recurring theme in her life.  Choices made have meant choices not made, and that, indeed, has made all the difference.

Linda is a voracious reader, particularly in English history during the Plantagenet and Tudor years, America’s Civil War history, the early church women including Julian of Norwich and Teresa of Avila, as well as the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy. She has continued her studies in reading the Greek New Testament and feminist theology.  She and Susan take many walks with or without the dogs and enjoy their new life in Reston, where their grandsons come to stay once in while.  She is so very grateful for the community of St. Francis and the opportunity to serve in a variety of capacities.  Her labyrinth and prayer bead ministry is slowly beginning to take shape and she looks forward to many more years of discovering what roads God will lead her down next.