A New Rector for St Peter's-By-the-Sea

On Tuesday January 27th, St Peter’s-By-the-Sea instituted The Rev. Casey Shobe, as Rector. The service was well attended; Casey’s family and friends, the Clergy of our diocese, and the congregants of St Peter’s packed the nave full of hope and excitement for the future of this new ministry. Casey was presented as a vibrant young answer to the prayers of that parish, and what was a rather large service felt as friendly and intimate as the candlelight reception which followed.

Casey Shobe was born in Virginia but was raised in central Texas, where his family still lives. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 2000, he hiked over 1000 miles of the Appalachian Trail before returning to Texas to attend the University of Texas School of Law. A one year stint in law school ended when he recognized God’s call for him to pursue Holy Orders, followed by a year of discernment and three years at Virginia Theological Seminary. There he deepened his love for the church–liturgy, history, Bible, theology–and was also blessed to meet his wife, Melody, who was also a student pursuing Holy Orders from the Diocese of Virginia. They married after their second year in seminary, and following graduation in 2006 returned to Texas, where they have been serving in separate parishes since July of that year.

Casey has served as Priest Associate at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston, Texas, with ministry areas ranging from growing the 20/30s population, to directing the Cathedral’s communication department. At the Cathedral, a parish of over 3,000 members, Casey has had opportunities to learn about developing programs, supporting and empowering volunteers, managing staff, as well as preaching, teaching and presiding regularly. Melody has served as Assistant Rector at St. Thomas the Apostle in Nassau Bay, a suburb of Houston, and has been called to serve at Christ Church in Lincoln, Rhode Island, as Priest Associate.

Casey and Melody share a love of the outdoors, claiming cycling, hiking and gardening as favorite pastimes. In addition, Casey is an avid golfer and Melody has a growing list of fabric related hobbies: quilting, stitching and knitting. They love to travel, having made pilgrimages to Ireland, Ethiopia and Israel, and are actively seeking their next destination. They have a small dog named Susie.