Meghan Foley
Meghan Foley has been worshipping at Emmanuel (EEC) since early 2025. From the beginning, she felt warmly welcomed by our parish family and quickly became active in ministries including Breaking Bread and Centering Prayer.
A Journey of Faith, Service, and Discernment
Meghan Foley has been worshipping at Emmanuel (EEC) since early 2025. From the beginning, she felt warmly welcomed by our parish family and quickly became active in ministries including Breaking Bread and Centering Prayer.
Meghan moved to Alexandria, Virginia, to accept a new position leading Emergency Disaster Services at The Salvation Army National Headquarters. The move brought her closer to home, and she has enjoyed spending more time with her dad, who still lives in the area, as well as reconnecting with old friends.
The move also presented a unique challenge. Before relocating to Virginia, Meghan had begun the process of discerning a call to holy orders with her diocese in Florida. Fortunately, she found tremendous support from the Diocese of Virginia as she continued that journey.
After meeting new friends at last year’s parish retreat to Shrine Mont, a Parish Discernment Committee was formed for Meghan. The committee completed its work late last year, and Meghan went on to interview with the Committee on Priesthood and with Bishop Bourlakas this Spring.
We are delighted to share the good news that on July 2, Meghan was officially granted postulancy! She is now planning to visit several seminaries this fall as she explores the next step in her journey and hopes to enter seminary in the Fall of 2027.
A Call to Serve
A significant part of Meghan’s sense of call is connected to her work in disaster management. Not that long ago Meghan traveled to Gary, Indiana, a community that has been under-resourced for decades following the collapse of the steel industry.
After severe weather impacted the area in early August, Gary experienced widespread flooding and prolonged power outages. The Salvation Army partnered with a food influencer to organize a community event where disaster resources were distributed and residents received a free meal. Even in the shadow of long-derelict schools and boarded-up houses, Meghan witnessed the very best of humanity. She saw countless moments of joy, generosity, and gratitude shared between those serving and those being served.
For Meghan, experiences like this are a powerful expression of the church at its best. Her work in disaster response and her discernment of a call to holy orders are deeply connected by a desire to serve others and to build stronger communities. Meghan believes she is called to help support the future of the church so that we can continue to live into Jesus’ greatest commandment: to love our neighbors.
We are grateful to have Meghan as part of our EEC parish family and look forward to accompanying her as she continues this journey of faith, service, and discernment. Please join us in celebrating this important milestone and praying for Meghan as she explores where God is calling her next.
If you know of another story that you think we should celebrate or highlight, please send a message to Chuck at charlescmccoartjr@gmail.com. Chuck will work with you to gather the details and, most importantly, make sure we have the person’s permission before sharing their story.
In a world where we can sometimes feel overwhelmed by difficult news, I hope Good News at Emmanuelwill be a small but meaningful reminder that there is still so much goodness, kindness, courage, and joy all around us.
Sometimes, we simply need to take the time to notice it—and then share it with others
Peace,
Chuck.