More Priests Than People, But. . .

My regular correspondent has pointed me to the bulletin from the St Mary the Virgin Ordinariate parish in Arlington, TX, which introduces its new pastor (emphasis mine):

Father Prentice Dean and his wife Teresa entered into full communion with the Catholic Church in 2006. He was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests, through the Pastoral Provision, on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, February 22, 2010. Fr. Dean has served as Administrator/Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes parish and St. Michael parish since June 2011. The churches are located in Robertson County, north of Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to those assignments Fr. Dean served as transitional deacon and as Assisting Priest at The Church of the Assumption in Nashville between August 2009 and June 2011. He also served as ViceChancellor of the Diocese of Nashville between 2006 and 2011. Prior to entering the church, he was Rector of St. Bede Episcopal Church in Manchester, Tennessee.

Having grown up in the northeast, and graduated from The George Washington University in Washington DC, with a Bachelor’s degree in history, he married and raised his family in Maryland. Fr. Dean has worked in historical research with the government and for a remodeling contractor and operated his own furniture-making business while being a stay-at-home father. He has finished all course work for Masters in management, and earned a Master’s degree in Divinity from the School of Theology, the University of the South, Sewanee Tennessee, in 2004.

My correspondent's comment is, "Presumably Bp Lopes did not have anyone he deemed suitable for this, one of his few stipendiary positions." Naturally, we don't know what was in Bp Lopes's mind, and issues like the ability to relocate to Arlington may have figured into any Ordinariate priest's availability.

Nevertheless, looking at the resume information, I note that neither Yale nor Nashotah House makes an appearance, which I frankly think is a positive sign. GW is a good school that serves a lot of commuter students, but not an elitist institution. Fr Dean looks to have a strong pastoral record in both Anglican and Catholic parishes, unlike a number of Steenson's more prestigious hires, who frankly strike me as having underperformed.