Each year, St. James’ provides a place of learning and growth for seminarians from the Seminary of the Southwest as they do their field education.
This year, we will have three seminarians working with us, and I hope you will come and meet them during Coffee Hour (12-1 pm in Founders Hall) on September 1.
Peter Meyr – Senior Seminarian
Hello, my name is Peter Mading Meyr. I was born in Sudan and baptized in the Diocese
of Wau, part of the Anglican Communion in the Province of Sudan. When Southern Sudan
gained independence from Sudan in 2011, I became part of the Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. Due to the Civil War in Sudan, I moved to Egypt in January 2001, where I lived for six years before marrying my wife, Mary Ayiat.
I emigrated to the United States in 2006, and Mary joined me after two years, and our daughter Gloria was born in 2009. I have an AS degree in Information Technology from Minnesota State Community and Technical College in
Moorhead and a Diploma in Theological Studies from the Episcopal Church of Egypt.
My formation started in Egypt, where I was ordained as a lay leader at the All Saints
Cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa between 2001 to 2006. I then served various roles at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Moorhead from 2006 to 2022. As a preacher and worship leader, I served as a lay/leader for the Arabic and Dinka language groups. I also planned and organized leadership training for the Bible Study groups and coordinated Sunday school programs for the youth and children. Additionally, I held pastoral care roles, including visiting the sick in hospitals, visiting people in prisons and jails,
attending courts with the family members of victims, and making congregational visits. Furthermore, I served two three-year terms on the vestry committee and three years on the Diocesan Council committee. In August 2022, I moved with my family to Austin, Texas, to attend the Seminary of the Southwest. I am currently in my third year as a Seminarian, working towards my Master’s Degree in Divinity. I am also a candidate for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota.
I am committed to using my skills and experience to serve the community of St. James’ and others in need in the Austin area.
Ari Gandy – Seminarian
Hello, my name is Ari Gandy. I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and moved to Texas with the wave of those brought here by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I am excited to join the St. James community as a non-denominational Seminary of the Southwest student. My wife Shaun and I have been together for nineteen years and married in 2016 when we adopted our boys. We have served as foster parents since 2013 and since then have adopted three amazing little ones. We will be finalizing our fourth by the end of this year.
Before answering the call on my life into ministry, the time and energy we put into fostering kids and working with other foster parents encouraged us to start a non-profit in 2016, helping families address the cultural and basic needs of black and brown girls. I completed an intensive program for non-profit leadership at ACC to help cultivate innovative methods of collaborating with other thought leaders to create a community of helping the most vulnerable people in and around the places we call home. This speaks to the heart of what I hope to bring into ministry with me.
Though I have been in attendance at a variety of denominations, the love, care, and compassion my family has received in the Episcopal Church is an experience we have valued and cherished immensely. The kids, Shaun, and I walked into St. James’ together for the first time and felt the energy and presence of God immediately. Therefore, we know the journey ahead as we immerse ourselves into the life of the community here we will be blessed in ways we can’t even imagine. We thank you all for always being so warm and inviting and are looking forward to our time with all of you.
Br. Angel Roque – Seminarian
Br. Angel Gabriel Roque was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to study Culinary Arts and management. He worked in many restaurants in Fort Lauderdale and Miami as a sous-chef, baker, research and development among other kitchen management positions. Angel worked and served in many ministries in South Florida, as a night shelter program manager for the St. Laurence Homeless shelter in Oakland Park Florida. Angel worked as done work as an HIV prevention counselor for youth and young adults and is
currently on the Board of Directors for Care Resource. Angel has worked and cofounded two Latine Episcopal ministries in Southeast Florida and worked extensively as a youth pastor and young adult chaplain in South Florida.
While serving the church Angel became a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist, specializing in sexual trauma, eating disorders, and opiate addiction, and worked in mental health crisis management at South Florida Wellness Network and
Henderson Behavioral Health services. After his work in South Florida Angel answered a call to serve the church in New Mexico and southwest Texas in January 2021 as the Diocesan Missioner for Youth and Young Adults and Director of Camp Stoney programs for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande. Angel is Middler and a full-time residential seminarian at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin Texas. MDiv class of 2026. Angel is also a Life professed Brother of the Brotherhood of St. Gregory an Episcopal community of friars. Angel also serves as on the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) on the commission’s Calendar Subcommittee and the Council for Safe Church & Safe Communities of The Episcopal Church. Angel resides in Austin Texas with his dog, Koko.
