Judith Schellhammer ’06 has lived an exciting life.
As licensed nurse, a homeschooling mother, a Hillsdale College history major and classics minor, Whitley house director, and Hillsdale physics professor, Schellhammer is adding on one more title, as she prepares to become a temporary deacon and then a priest in the Episcopalian church.
Schellhammer grew up as a Roman Catholic, but after what she said was a cold greeting at the Catholic church near her first school, she began attending Episcopalian services. In the years that followed, she alternated between Catholic, Evangelical, and Episcopalian services until the mid-1990’s when her faith was revived and she began to minister actively in the Episcopalian church. She started the process of becoming an Episcopalian minister in 2006 and will be ordained a priest in June.
Schellhammer described the Sunday following 9/11 as one of the most transformative experiences in her ministry.
“This Sunday, the church was packed and the rector asked me to be a Eucharistic minister,” she said. “I remember standing up there facing the people for the first time and seeing their hunger for answers. I knew that — for me at least — the answer is in Christ and His sacrifice on the cross and His body and blood. To be able to share that with these people who really needed the love of God was very important.”
Since she participates so frequently in ministry, she first noted the ordination would not change much but appearance.
“It’s not that different from what I’ve been doing anyway,” Schellhammer said. “The title will change, and I’ll get to wear a collar at church after ordination, but it’s not going to change who I am or what I do.”
She later corrected this statement, adding that she will be able to perform priestly duties such as marriage, baptism, and Eucharist as well.
“While it is true that day-to-day my ministry will not be much different after ordination than it is now, the big change will be sacramental in that I will be able to consecrate the bread and wine for Holy Eucharist, offer absolution, and pronounce blessings. Being able to participate actively in the sacramental life of the church will allow me to share the love and grace of God through Jesus in a very tangible way,” she said.
Schellhammer did not attend seminary, but instead opted for a process known as total ministry. In order for someone to become a priest through total ministry, the entire congregation must support their decision.
Schellhammer began the process of total ministry at St. Peter’s Episcopalian Church in Hillsdale, but the process did not pan out in the way she anticipated, causing her to pursue total ministry at St. Michael’s in Cambridge Junction instead. Diana Walworth, a priest there, faulted the congregation at St. Peter’s.
“There are expectations of everyone in the congregation, and if your congregation isn’t fully on board with that, it won’t work,” Walworth said. “Even though Judith was passionate about total ministry, the congregation at St. Peter’s as a whole was not passionate enough. It’s a huge amount of work to do what we do. It’s not for everybody.”
Schellhammer started attending St. Michael’s in 2010 and immediately became active in ministry. She was added to the preaching schedule and assisted with teaching, training, and administrative tasks. She and a small group studied and discerned her call to the ministry as she took online classes. In order to be accepted, the entire congregation must approve, taking into account the “spiritual gifts” of Schellhammer.
“Spiritual gifts are anything and everything. Being a good listener is a spiritual gift. Compassion is a spiritual gift. Being able to work as part of a team is a spiritual gift, it all depends on how you look at it,” Walworth said. “I could go to work every day and do my job and not bring God into the picture, but when I bring God into the picture what I do is ministry.”
Schellhammer believed one of her spiritual gifts is teaching, which in part is what she does as a house director and what she did as a physics professor through last year.
“Everything that she’s learn
One of Schellhammer’s favorite parts of the process was writing her “spiritual journey,” a spiritual autobiography, and then facilitating the same process for others for two years. Though the document is only four pages long, it helped her think through the catechism she learned as a young Catholic girl and the theology she learned when she attended an Episcopalian adult study group.
The other experience Schellhammer described as central in her spiritual journey also occurred during a form of ministry—music ministry as an alto in a choir. It was Christmas time and the choir was singing The Messiah as always. With an angelic soprano soloist behind her, Schellhammer stood almost face to face with the audience.
“I looked out at the people and it was almost as though I had a vision. We’re singing the words of salvation, and here’s an audience that really needs to hear these words. Whether it was a vision or just an impression I had it was really striking and life changing,” she said.
