By Dave Pearce
By Pam Robinson
The Rev. Martha Honaker of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in New Harmony has been a self-described “vagabond” on her spiritual journey. Yet, one constant has guided her way—a compassionate heart intent on leading people to healing. But she will be retiring soon and leaving New Harmony.
In a former life (1969 to 1979), Honaker served as a nurse anesthetist, first in her native North Carolina, then in Anniston, Ala. She helped to bring physical healing when people were at their most vulnerable—in the operating room, or Ore. Death confronted her more often than she liked, and although raised a Methodist, she turned to the Episcopalian church to be spiritually fed by daily Communion. By 1970, she was a confirmed as an Episcopalian. Her colleagues in OR knew when she took a year’s leave for religious study, she would not return. They saw her gift of spiritual healing.
In 1980, Honaker entered Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, Penn. While there, she and another student ran a medical clinic to help finance their education. Three years later, she graduated from Trinity with the Master of Divinity and the faculty’s support of her ordination. She immediately started working as a lay assistant for a small church in a nearby steel mill town. Then, in 1984, she was ordained in Pittsburgh. Afterward, God led her to accept the call as rector at St. James Episcopal Church in Penn Hill, Penn., where she remained five years.
Since the Episcopal church only started ordaining women in 1977, Honaker was one of the first few ordained Episcopalian priests in the United States. She was, in fact, the first woman to be ordained from her seminary, and the first ordained woman called to serve as the rector of a church in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
She recalls, “My bishop was so proud of me, he wanted me to be on every committee he could think of. I fell into it. I wanted to be a good woman priest. I wanted to make women proud. I got burned out, and I got depressed, and I couldn’t function. So I went home to North Carolina, and some friends really brought me out of that—brought me home to North Carolina and helped me to recover.”
While reflecting on whether or not to return to the church, Honaker accepted another nursing position and after taking a refresher course in nursing at the University of North Carolina, she worked with oncology patients.
“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” she comments. “The people I took care of who were dying really taught me how to live. It healed a part of me that needed to be healed.”
Gradually, Honaker started helping with Sunday services at a church in Fayetteville, North Carolina, until the parish asked her to become their associate rector. She remained there 8 years until she was asked to interview as a Canon at the Cathedral church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. God drew her to Albuquerque as a way to deal with her grief from losing both parents and one of her two older brothers in the span of a year.
After a year and a half in Albuquerque, the Dean of the Cathedral moved, and those under him were expected to move on also to accommodate the new Dean’s selection of his own staff. Honaker was praying about a church in Eastern North Carolina when she received a call from New Harmony. Right after the call, St. Stephen’s parishioners Bish Mumford and Carol Siegel traveled to Albuquerque to meet with Honaker, who, in turn, traveled to New Harmony not long afterward to meet with the search committee.
“He was convincing—I will say that about Bish,” she says. “’You need to come here,’ he said.” Once she arrived, she admits, “I knew this is where God wanted me to be in the way that you know inside yourself. I went ahead and interviewed in North Carolina, but I knew that was not where I was supposed to be.”
Home to the first organized religion in New Harmony, St. Stephen’s parish is 170 years old. Honaker says she has been blessed by the small church made up of about 40 families. “It’s really been God’s grace. I’m a better person for having been here,” she says.
“This is one of the most gifted parishes around,” she adds. “I don’t think anybody possibly could get how much ministry comes out of this church. It is truly gifted.”
Honaker has spent eight years at St. Stephen’s and 26 years total in ministry. A reception to honor her retirement will be held on Sunday, September 12, 2010, at the Ribeyre Gym Annex from 2-4 p.m. Bishop Cate Waynick from the Diocese of Indianapolis will be here to participate in the celebration.
Honaker plans to settle in the mountains of Sparta, North Carolina, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Accompanying her is her loyal 13-year-old Golden Retriever, Katie Scarlett O’Hara, who has charmed countless patients in hospitals and nursing homes before her own retirement as a pet therapy dog. Pumpkin the cat, longtime companion of Katie Scarlett, will be moving to the mountains as well. Writing, especially poetry, along with visiting family and friends will keep Honaker happy in retirement.