The Rev Colleen Schiefelbein (she/her) is the Priest-in-Charge at St Martin de Porres in Alexandria.  She accepted the call to be the first Priest-in-Charge of St. Martin de Porres Episcopal Church Alexandria. 

She was ordinated a Priest September 19, 2020.   Her first Sunday was January 14, 2024.

Colleen has lived much of her life in transition. She grew up with the military and then married a Marine who served for 24 years on active duty. She has moved every 3ish years and is now learning to stay in one place.

Colleen loves to learn. Colleen received a B.A. in English from Virginia Tech, a M.B.A with a concentration in Marketing from Golden Gate University and her M. Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary. Always learning, Colleen also has a certificate in Interim Ministry. She is an insatiable reader mostly of fiction and church books. As well as learning, Colleen loves to share her knowledge and experience with others. Colleen has worked in Christian Formation particularly Youth Ministry for over 20 years.

Colleen is also the co-chair of the Truth and Reparations Task Force for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. The charge of the Task Force is to propose means by which repair may begin for those areas of our structures, patterns, and common life by which Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) within the original bounds of our diocese still carry the burden of theological, social, cultural, economic, and legal injustices, exclusions, and biases born out of white supremacy and the legacy of slavery. Reparations seek to mend past wrongs to create a stronger more hope-filled future for all. Reparations are about healing our souls.

The new tagline for the Diocese of Virginia sums up Rev Colleen’s faith well. “Love Jesus. Embody justice. Be disciples.” We live in an exciting time for the Church. The Church is at an inflection point or a transition. The position of privilege the Church has held for centuries is eroding. We now have an opportunity to be the Church in the world more free of the privilege and the entanglements of society. We can now better strive to authentically center are lives on Jesus’ teachings and with the help of the Holy Spirit be the hands and feet of Jesus in ways that strengthen the larger community. Jesus is awesome. Jesus is full of love and joy. I pray we can all see, feel and know that we are beloved children of God. God is still God and has plans for us to live more fully.