For Karen Furr, deacon is one step closer to being a priest

Karen Furr was ordained a deacon of the Independent Catholic Church Saturday in downtown Kingman.

Archbishop Michael Hillis presided over the ceremony, which was held by the Divine Savior Catholic Community. The entire church community approved of Furr becoming a deacon recently and she is the first deacon of the church to be ordained in Kingman.

The Archbishop and several other church leaders came to Kingman from the Phoenix area to participate in the ceremony, with Father Leonard Walker and the Parish Community of the Divine Savior.

Furr is a former member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. She holds a master's degree in Social Work and has devoted much of her life to working with those who have experienced economic poverty, as well as abuse, addictions, homelessness and trauma.

"This has been a lifelong part of my path," she said. "I'm grateful to the Independent Catholic Church for its inclusivity. (The church) takes the Gospel seriously and is just a wonderful group of people."

Father Walker expressed thanks to the Trinity Episcopal Church for allowing Divine Savior to hold its ceremony there.

"I was happy to invite Karen to fulfill a lifelong dream," Walker said. "With her gifts and history, we are truly blessed."

Archbishop Hillis said after the ceremony that "this is the Holy Spirit working. Our church treats everyone with equality, as God does."

Furr will be ordained as a priest in April.

Divine Savior's services are held at Trinity Episcopal, located at 425 Spring St. Their website is www.kingmancatholic.org.

Furr invited the Kingman community to visit. Services are at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.