The Rev. Patricia Ellen Henking, who served as a college chaplain and professor, as well as a parish priest in Maine and New Hampshire, died August 18 at 67.
Henking studied at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and at General Seminary, and was deeply formed by later studies with Elie Wiesel at Boston University and President Jimmy Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia.
Ordained in 1980, she began her ministry at St. Mary the Virgin in Falmouth, Maine. She later became chaplain to Dartmouth College, and served for 34 years as vicar of Faith Episcopal Church in Merrimack, New Hampshire. She was an adjunct professor at Notre Dame College in Manchester, New Hampshire, Nashua Community College, and St. Anselm College. She also served for a time as president of the Standing Committee in the Diocese of New Hampshire, and was a member of the Commission on Ministry in the Dioceses of Maine and New Hampshire.
Henking is survived by her partner of 25 years, Lise Mailloux, and by her sister, Susan.
The Rev. Kenneth Wayne Paul, who served for 27 years as rector of the Church of the Holy Cross in Shreveport, Louisiana, died October 9 at 87.
Born on the edge of a cotton patch in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Paul studied at Asbury College, and then at Perkins School of Theology, Oxford University, the University of the South, and General Seminary. After five years of ministry in the Methodist Church, he was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in 1965, and served for three years at St. Mark’s Church (now St. Mark’s Cathedral) in Shreveport.
In 1968, Paul became rector of Holy Cross Church in downtown Shreveport, a position he held until retirement. He also served for 27 years as Episcopal chaplain at Centenary College, and assisted in the formation of 19 men and women for ordained ministry.
Under his leadership, Holy Cross established several institutions focused on care for the needy in the surrounding community, including the Endowment for Community Services and Holy Cross Hope House, a day shelter for the homeless, as well as Holy Cross Villas, low-income housing communities in Bossier City and West Shreveport.
Paul is survived by his wife, Virginia, two sons, and three grandchildren.
The Rev. James William Henry Sell, a long-serving parish priest who led initiatives in communications and youth ministries, died September 30, at 79.
A native of Charleston, West Virginia, Sell studied history and law at West Virginia University before answering a call to ministry. He graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1969, and began his ministry at several small parishes in his native West Virginia. He became rector of St. Mary’s Church in Sparta, New Jersey, in 1980. Five years later, he became archdeacon of the Diocese of Newark. He edited The VOICE, Newark’s diocesan newspaper, and coordinated several youth programs, as well as serving on numerous committees.
He served for rector of Christ and St. Luke’s Church in Norfolk, Virginia, for 15 years, and in retirement he was interim rector at churches in Severna Park, Maryland; Princeton, New Jersey; New Haven, Connecticut; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Ellen, two children, and five grandchildren.