The Rev. Donald P. Owens, Jr. Ph.D., joins St. Anna’s from his retirement in Wimberly, TX (near Austin) on August 1st as Interim Priest; his first mass will be on Sunday August 6th. Fr. Don and Barbara, his wife of 57 years, have four children. Graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, he received his Master of Divinity from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1969 and his Ph.D. from The University of Oklahoma in 1986. Fr. Don was ordained in the Episcopal Church, USA as Deacon on June 11, 1975 and Priest on October 17, 1975 in the Diocese of Oklahoma.
From 1975 – 2000, Fr. Don served as interim of several parishes in Oklahoma before moving to New Orleans. He became Priest-in-Charge of St. Timothy’s in La Place, LA, where he served until 2015. He has continued to work into his retirement including as Interim Rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in San Marcos, Texas.
Fr. Don’s primary ministry has been in the Ministry in Higher Education, serving as the Episcopal Chaplain to the University of Oklahoma, St. Anselm Canterbury Association from 1975-2000. He has served on Diocesan, Provincial, and National levels of Ministry in Higher Education committees and leadership positions. From 2000 – 2015 he became Chaplain to the Tulane University School of Medicine, Episcopal Ministry to Medical Education in New Orleans. During this time he was Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, and Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at Tulane School of Medicine in New Orleans, and the James A. Knight, M.D., Chair of Humanities and Ethics in Medicine. Fr. Don now holds the title of Professor Emeritus Tulane University School of Medicine.
Fr. Don has admired and supported the work done at St. Anna’s since Hurricane Katrina and is thrilled to be invited to serve in this capacity.