What does it mean to reaffirm vows across denominational lines? At the Chrism Mass in New Orleans, Episcopal and Lutheran clergy gathered to pray, renew their promises, and bear witness to a shared call rooted in love, service, and unity in Christ.
By Deacon Aimee Elles, Bishop’s Associate for Candidacy and Education
Deacon Aimee Elles, Bishop Tracey Breashears Schultz, The Right Rev. Shannon Duckworth, and The Rev. Canon Morgan MacIntire
“God be in my head…” These were the opening words of the Gospel Acclamation sung at the Chrism Mass with Reaffirmation of Ordination Vows for the Bishop, Priests, and Deacons of the Dioceses of Louisiana on March 30th in New Orleans. The prayer, originating in the Sarum Primer of 1514, immediately grounded our worship in a tradition shared across centuries—even as we gathered across denominational lines.
The Right Reverend Shannon Rogers Duckworth invited Bishop Tracey and the clergy of the Bayou Conference to celebrate this mass together. What unfolded was far more than a beautifully crafted liturgy. It was a visible and embodied proclamation of unity: Episcopal and Lutheran clergy, bishops, priests, deacons, and pastors gathered side by side to pray, sing, and hear the Word of God together.
As I sat in the chancel during the service, I was able to look out at all the clergy intermingled—Episcopal and Lutheran, bishop, priest, deacon, and pastor—sitting collectively after having just taken the opportunity to reaffirm the vows they made at their ordination. One among us was even celebrating the 50th anniversary of that sacred day. Together, we promised once more to proclaim the Good News, to work together, to pray and to study. We promised to be faithful students and, most importantly, faithful servants of our God.
Reading of the gospel at Chrism Mass, Christ Church Cathedral, Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, NOLA
What struck me deeply was not just the act of reaffirmation, but the realization that—despite differences in polity, liturgical language, and structure—our vows echo one another with remarkable clarity. Each of us committed to lives shaped by prayer, service, and proclamation. Ecumenical partnership, revealed so clearly in this moment, is not a courtesy or an optional collaboration. It is a faithful response to a shared call. In a world, and even a church, often fragmented by difference, our collective presence proclaimed that unity in Christ does not mean uniformity, but mutual commitment to God’s mission in the world.
For the deacons in particular, the charge stood out with renewed resonance: “Will you continue to make Christ’s redemptive love known, by your work and example, to those among whom you live, and work, and worship?” The sermon that followed offered a powerful and humbling illustration. Bishop Duckworth shared a lesson she learned after something happened to a Muslim man who works in her neighborhood. The lesson was simple and piercing: He asked her, “do you want to be known for the righteous anger you felt, or for the way you loved?”
That question landed squarely in the heart of deaconal ministry—and, honestly, in the heart of all Christian vocation. Our ministries do not unfold in denominational silos. They unfold in neighborhoods, workplaces, hospitals, shelters, and streets where we live alongside people of many faiths and none at all. Ecumenical partnership forms us to live into that reality with humility, generosity, and love across lines of difference.
Bayou Conference: Front Row (l-r): Pr. Anders Nilsen, Bishop Tracey Breashears Shultz, Pr. Candy O’Meara, Dcn. Aimee Elles, Pr. Barb Simmers; Back Row (l-r): Pr. Katie Jacobs, Pr. Sandra Barnes, Pr. Laura Stephenson, Pr. Robin McCullough-Bade
Celebrating this service in Louisiana added another layer of meaning. This is a place shaped by shared history, layered cultures, resilience born of storms and rebuilding. Here, churches often serve the same communities side by side—not as an abstract theological exercise, but because the work of mercy, justice, and accompaniment requires it. Reaffirming vows together in this place felt expansive and deeply hopeful, a recommitment not only to our individual ministries, but to one another as partners in Christ’s work.
I found myself breathless and enchanted by the opportunity to worship with ecumenical colleagues, while also being reminded that I, too, took these vows just a few short years ago. To share in a collective reaffirmation—spoken in different words but rooted in the same promise—with our Louisiana siblings felt like standing inside something larger than any one call or tradition.
God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing.
What would it mean if we allowed this prayer to shape not only our individual lives, but the way we live as the Church together? Are we listening for the voice of God as we do the work we feel called to do? Is the Holy Spirit in our eyes as we see the person in front of us? Are we using God’s words when we speak to and about others? Are we spending our time and energy on God’s intentions rather than our own?
This ancient prayer reminds us that ministry—ecumenical, ordained, or lay—is not ultimately about being right, but about being faithful. It calls us to lives marked by understanding, compassion, disciplined speech, and love. And it sends us—together—into the world God so loves.
Episcopal and Lutheran Clergy at Chrism Mass with Reaffirmation of Ordination Vows, March 30, 2026. Diocese of Louisiana, NOLA