ABOUT REV. HELENA
I'm a life-long Episcopalian, a life-long nerd, and a life-long Jesus-lover.
I graduated from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I've been blessed to serve at St. Paul's since September 2020.
I hope this page helps you get to know me a little better. And if we haven't met yet, I look forward to getting to know you!
Your sister in Christ,
Rev. Helena
Rev. Helena Martin
Priest-in-Charge
she/her
Priest-in-Charge
she/her
Priest-in-Charge
she/her
Rev. Helena Outside St. Paul's
Starting in September 2020, St. Paul's moved to an experimental new model of church:
Rev. Helena is employed at St. Paul's half-time. She celebrates Eucharist on two or three Sunday mornings a month, and the other two Sunday mornings are led by laypeople.
This schedule gives her the opportunity to best spend the few hours she's at St. Paul's.
In the weeks she's not preparing for Sunday worship, she keeps St. Paul's engaged in important diocesan and community work. Right now, she's one of the founders and co-conveners of the 20s and 30s Ministry Network in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.
She also uses that time to connect with the local Southington community. She is one of the co-chairs of Southington PRIDE's Faith Subcommittee, for example.
When she's not at St. Paul's, Rev. Helena is an aspiring academic. She recently completed her Master of Sacred Theology degree (STM) at Yale Divinity School, where her master's thesis was entitled, "Sin and Sign: Disability in the Gospels."
She writes on ancient bodies, disabilities, magic, and monsters, and she has published several peer-reviewed articles.
She is also the host and executive producer of a weekly podcast on the Revised Common Lectionary, through Yale Bible Study. The podcast is called Chapter, Verse, and Season.
For fun, Rev. Helena watches Marvel movies, trains her dog Lila to do tricks using fun commands, and is learning to keep her plants alive. A former professional rock musician, she also writes and plays music.
Rev. Helena In the News
Rev. Helena sometimes writes for popular publications or appears in the news herself. Below are some recent publications you can read to learn more about her.
And remember to check out St. Paul's in the News.
August 17, 2022 | Earth & Altar
"Mary is not a supernatural being. She’s fully human, fully prophetic, fully heartbroken. So when we are heartbroken and pray with her, she dwells in that space with us."
July 18, 2022 | Episcopal Church in Connecticut Blog
"I was ordained just two years ago, and I’m still learning the contours of my collar’s power. Whether I want to or not, I represent concepts far greater than myself when I wear my collar into the world."
June 27, 2022 | WSHU Public Radio
"'My heart breaks for the people whose lives will be lost by this,' she said. 'And people who are disadvantaged for all different kinds of reasons are going to be forced to make difficult choices about their health that can imperil them, that can endanger their families and that are against their desires and dreams for their lives.'"
June 16, 2021 | Episcopal Church in Connecticut Blog
"Putting up the Pride flag was not a way for our parish to check a box or prove anything. Rather, it was a way for us to express who we already are—and to make it clear our welcome really does apply to everyone."
March 16, 2020 | Berkeley Divinity School News
"Even now, we are the church. Because the church has no organ, no Sunday morning time slot, no robe, no pew. The church is the body of God’s faithful, praying hip to hip or screen to screen, alone or with thousands. The church is with us in our grief at the losses we have already weathered. The church is with us in our fear of uncertainty."