The Ven. Holly Hanback

St. Gabriel's~San Gabriel's Deacon
Archdeacon of the Diocese of Virginia

Contact Deacon Holly

The Rev. Deacon Holly Hanback was appointed by the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston, Diocesan Bishop of Virginia to St. Gabriel's in Advent 2016. In December of 2019, The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff appointed Holly Archdeacon of the Diocese of Virginia, to guide and care for people in discernment and formation for the diaconate and also as a pastoral presence for deacons.

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Deacon Holly's ministry at St. Gabriel's includes serving our bilingual community and the people in greater Leesburg and Loudoun. Her secular vocation is as pastoral as is her clerical vocation, she works for the Loudoun County Public School as a Parent Liaison.  Deacon Holly also serves on the board of Mobile Hope, a non-profit that serves precariously housed teens. Her service ministry includes Grace to Go, a ministry for the food insecure in Leesburg.   
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The word “deacon” derives from the Greek word diakonos meaning “servant” or “minister.”  The deacon’s service is a sign or sacrament of Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve.  The ministry of a deacon is to represent Christ and his Church, particularly as a servant of those in need (especially the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely), and to assist bishops and priests in the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments; at St. Gabriel's Deacon Holly proclaims the love and Spirit of Jesus in English and Spanish!

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In the Episcopal Church, a deacon is one of four orders of ministers: laypersons, bishops, priests, and deacons.  There are two types of deacons: transitional deacons, and vocational deacons. Deacons such as Holly are called to a lifetime of Diaconal ministry.   

Holly and her husband Clint are the parents of four beloved children. Meet Holly and you will know that you are in the presence of a spirit-filled and beloved child of God.