Pohick Episcopal Church

Established 1732

The Reverend Donald D. Binder, PhD, Rector

The Reverend Diane Murphy, PhD, Priest Associate

May 24, 2018

Dear Pohick Family,

As most of you know, over the past five months we have been diligently involved in a
search for a new Assistant to the Rector, following the retirement of the Rev. Dr. Ruth E. Correll
at the end of 2017. That process included advertising for the position, reviewing applicant
résumés, and conducting multiple interviews with short-listed candidates—all with the goal of
having the new Assistant in place by early July.

After much work involving myself, an advisory Search Committee, and the
Vestry, I am pleased to inform you of the successful conclusion of that process:
earlier this month, I issued a call to the Rev. Dr. Lynn P. Ronaldi, who joyfully
accepted. That call was in turn ratified by both Bp. Johnston and Pohick’s Vestry,
as per canonical requirements, allowing me to now share this wonderful news with
the entire congregation.

Lynn is currently serving as Rector of the Church of the Incarnation in West Point,
Mississippi, having initially been appointed as Priest-in-Charge three years earlier. Before that,
she served as Rector of Church of the Advent in Summer, MS—the same congregation where
Bp. Johnston once similarly served near the start of his ordained ministry.

Growing up near Memphis, Lynn’s early spiritual life was formed in the Roman Catholic
Church, but her family began attending the Episcopal Church when she was a teenager. After
graduating from Ole Miss with a B.A. in Journalism and Public Relations (and later from the
University of Dallas with an MBA), Lynn married Tom Ronaldi, her college sweetheart, and
they eventually moved to Houston. They went on to raise three daughters (Alley, Tori, and
Carly), who are now living on their own as young adults.

Through involvement in the Alpha Program offered at her parish in Houston, Lynn was
led to a Lay Chaplain’s ministry in a Community of Hope chapter that was then forming within
her congregation—one of the earliest in the nation. She served in that and several other
ministries for nearly a decade prior to responding to a call to ordained ministry.

Lynn’s ordination to the priesthood in 2013 followed her graduation from St. Mary’s
Seminary in Houston with an MDiv (2008), and her completion of Anglican Studies coursework
a few years later at the Sewanee School of Theology. She went on to earn her Doctor of Ministry

9301 Richmond Highway Lorton, Virginia 22079 703.339.6572

 2

from the latter institution in 2016, with her doctoral thesis proposing a practical model for the
integration of Community of Hope spirituality within the Clinical Pastoral Education system.

Her training, experience, and temperament ideally suited to match the portfolio of
ministries supervised by Pohick’s Assistant to the Rector, Lynn will bring many spiritual insights
and a great deal of enthusiasm to the position.

And so, with that introduction, I hope you will join me in welcoming Lynn and Tom
when she begins her service with us the first week of July—her first Sunday being July 8th.
In the meantime, the Rev. Dr. Diane Murphy will continue her superb ministry with us for two
Sundays and Wednesdays per month through June, including the weekend of our Shrine Mont
parish retreat, which will be her last.

Having completed such a rewarding but also very tiring search process, I will be going on
a personal retreat from Friday, May 25 through Thursday, May 31, with the Rev. Dr. Ruth
Correll taking the Sunday services over the Memorial Day weekend, as well as covering any
pastoral emergencies.

Thank you all for your prayerful support throughout this entire process. And thanks most
of all to our Heavenly Father for leading us through this period of discernment to such a
wonderful conclusion!
Faithfully,

The Reverend Donald D. Binder, PhD

Rector, Pohick Episcopal Church

9301 Richmond Highway Lorton, Virginia 22079 703.339.6572