The Rev. Jacqueline Allene (Ehringer) Means, praised by her bishop for her 48-year ministry of giving herself “to the work of healing, accompaniment, and liberation, especially among the incarcerated, the unhoused, the grieving and the overlooked,” died June 3 at 88.
Means was born in 1936 in Peoria, Indiana. Her parents were often on the move and struggled with alcoholism, but they sent her to a Catholic school in every place the family lived. She left school at 16 to marry Delton Means. They settled in Indianapolis and attended an Episcopal church.
As recorded by historian John Haug in Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia and Encyclopedia.com, Means became a licensed practical nurse, and eventually began studies at a Roman Catholic and a Disciples of Christ seminary in Indianapolis.
She was ordained to the diaconate in 1974 and was assigned to All Saints Episcopal Church in an integrated neighborhood of downtown Indianapolis.
When she made an appointment to discuss priestly ordination with her bishop, John Craine, “I was so scared. I was so nervous that I spilled a cup of coffee all over myself,” she said in a story by Gay Totten for Episcopal News Service. “But Bishop Craine was just wonderful.”
Means was the first woman ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church after General Convention made canonical changes in 1976 that made these ordinations legal. Means served several parishes in the Diocese of Indianapolis, but also at the Indiana Women’s Prison, director of prison ministries for the Bishop for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries, and caring for first responders after the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01 and in Hurricane Katrina’s path of devastation in Louisiana.
She is survived by her brother, two sons, a stepson, five grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.
Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows of Indianapolis praised Means at length in announcing her death: “Her ministry in the Diocese of Indianapolis and to the wider Episcopal Church was fiercely loving. At the Indiana Women’s Prison, in the founding of Craine House [an alternative sentencing program that serves non-violent women with preschool-age children], and in her service as rector of St. Mark’s Church in Plainfield, Jackie drew near to those whom society pushed aside.”
The Rev. Chris Roussell, a parish priest who began his ministry in the Catholic Church in southern Louisiana, died May 24 at 54. He suffered a heart attack while mowing the lawn at his home in Lynchburg, Virginia.
He was born in 1971, in Marrero, Louisiana, across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. He earned a degree in English from Louisiana State University in 1993, cultivating a love of language that enriched his preaching and pastoral care.
He was ordained a Catholic priest on May 24, 2003, and served the Diocese of Baton Rouge for three years. He also served as a chaplain at St. Joseph Hospice in Baton Rouge.
While between his ministry in the Catholic diocese and the Episcopal diocese, he worked for several years alongside his father and brother at Concrete Busters of Louisiana. That chapter allowed him to reconnect with his roots, embrace the dignity of hard work, and deepen his understanding of life’s practical and spiritual intersections—insights that informed his later ministry.
Roussell was received into the Episcopal Church in 2013, and continued his priestly ministry in Rapid City, South Dakota, serving for six years. In 2019, he accepted a call to St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he served as rector until his death.
“Fr. Chris loved Jesus Christ and loved being a priest. He was passionate about bringing that love to his church, the Lynchburg community, and to all he met,” said Ben Cowgill, associate rector for formation and day school chaplain at St. John’s. “He led St. John’s through COVID into a new season of growth and deepening faith over the last five years. He was a faithful counselor, passionate preacher, and had a laugh that could light up any room he was in. He will be deeply missed.”
He is survived by Alison Roussell, his wife of 18 years; two daughters; his mother; and a brother and sister.
The Rev. Peter A. Williams, whose long ministry of sign language began after a challenge by a deaf parishioner, died April 27 at 68. For the past four years he dealt with an increasing and debilitating form of dementia.
Williams was born in 1956. In high school he was an honors student and played trombone with his school’s marching band. He then studied at Binghamton University, graduating with honors with a degree in English.
He studied philosophy at LeMoyne College in 1978 and then earned a master’s degree in sacred theology from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore.
He was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Church in Syracuse in 1983. A parishioner at his second parish, St. Lucy’s Parish, Syracuse, asked when he was going to learn sign language. Williams took classes in sign language at Onondaga Community College and Gallaudet University.
For 10 years, he worked as the Director of the Catholic Deaf Ministry Office, later adding ministry among Hispanic people.
He became an Episcopal priest in 2008 at Grace Episcopal Church, Syracuse, within the Diocese of Central New York. His ministry to the deaf community continued in association with Ephphatha Parish in Syracuse. He served as rector of Grace and Holy Spirit Church, Cortland, New York, an Episcopal and Lutheran congregation, until his retirement in 2022.
Williams is survived by five siblings, 10 nieces and nephews, and 14 great-nieces and great-nephews.
Other Deaths
The Rev. Dallas B. Decker, June 1
The Rev. Eric Vaughn Heidecker, June 13
The Rev. Christopher Kelly, March 15
John Alfred Owens, June 10
The Rev. Cn. Richard Rowe, May 5
Douglas LeBlanc is an Associate Editor and writes about Christianity and culture. He and his wife, Monica, attend St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Henrico, Virginia.
