Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship (ADF), has elected a new Archdruid by popular vote: Rev. Jan Avende (they/them). Also elected to serve on ADF’s governing body, the ADF Mother Grove, are Rovena Windsor (Chief of the Council of Senior Druids), Matthias Dolgner-Trampnau (Non-Officer Director), Tami Olsen (re-elected Non-Officer Director) and Mike Bierschenk (ADF Secretary, elected to a full term).

About Rev. Avende

With nearly a decade of priestly service under their belt, and nearly two decades of involvement with ADF, Rev. Avende has a depth of work to bring to the table. They have served several positions within ADF, including Vice Archdruid, Initiate Program Preceptor (Rev. Amber Doty will assume this role as Rev. Avende leaves it), Regional Druid for the Heartland Region of ADF, Chief of the Bardic Guild, and many other roles serving our international membership.

Adding to their resume include two years of work as a prison chaplain, a year as a hospital chaplain at OhioHealth’s Grant Medical Center (Level 1 Trauma Center), and they are nearing completion of work for eligibility to become a board-certified chaplain. On the local level, Rev. Avende has also been a Grove Priest of Three Cranes Grove, ADF, in Columbus, Ohio, for nine years, managing much of the day-to-day liturgical and spiritual needs of their local community, both in the Grove and beyond.

Their M.A. in Education has also served them well on this journey, leading to the publication of three books on ADF Druidry: The Spiraling Sun, a Winter Solstice Liturgy; Kindling Sparks: A Religious Education Program for Young Pagans; and co-authoring ADF’s free-to-the-public training program, The Hearth Keeper’s Way.

Rev. Avende is also the first person to serve as ADF Archdruid who is not a cisgender man; when asked about this, they stated, “We all know the face of modern Paganism is changing; I hope that I can be part of showing that modern Druidry is open, welcoming, and inclusive. We have a long way to go, but every new face, every different person, every connection is meaningful, especially to those who haven’t experienced that connection before.”

As Archdruid, Rev. Avende seeks to focus heavily on helping our membership feel more connected to the organization, and being a compassionate point of contact for all members of ADF. Their goals include empowering our volunteer base, completing the new ADF website roll-out, and kicking off a discernment process to improve ADF’s administrative structure and procedures to better support the needs of a religious organization focused on trust and inclusion.

ADF has always been part of the larger fabric of the Pagan community worldwide, but Rev. Avende is interested in weaving those threads together in a more accessible way for all: by taking steps to broaden access to ADF’s best-in-class training program and crafting an inclusive spiritual home for folks practicing at a distance while also seeking community, their hope is that everyone can find empowerment in their work through a connection with Our Own Druidry. Rev. Avende noted, “Notions of “spiritual care” and “leadership” are not path-specific to Druidry; we have amazing resources that can be used to strengthen the modern Pagan movement as a whole.”

Outgoing Officers and Volunteers

The Mother Grove would like to thank the following individuals who have completed their service in key roles at this election, and who remain valuable members of ADF:

• Rev. Jean Pagano (Drum), outgoing Archdruid, who has served three consecutive terms over the past nine years (position being filled by Rev. Jan Avende). Rev. Pagano will join the ranks of Archdruid Emeriti, who serve as a valuable resource for our Mother Grove and help retain the history of our work to inform its future.
• Brian Larter, Chief of the Council of Senior Druids, who has served the past several years (position being filled by Rovena Windsor)
• Rev. Missy Ashton, Non-Officer Director, who has served the past several years (position being filled by Matthias Dolgner-Trampnau)
• Rev. Kirk S. Thomas, outgoing ADF Preceptor who has served the past several years (a replacement to be named in early May, 2025)
• Rev. Jan Avende, who has served as Vice Archdruid the past three years (a replacement to be named in early May, 2025) and Initiate Program Preceptor (positioned being filled by Rev. Amber Doty)

Formal Installation and Terms of Office

Rev. Avende’s formal installation to the office of ADF Archdruid, along with the formal investiture of our new Mother Grove, will be held at Stone Creed Grove, ADF’s, Wellspring Gathering in late May, 2025. Their official terms of office begin on May 1, 2025. Rev. Avende’s first term will run three years, until April 30, 2028; other offices mentioned are on 2-year terms.

What is ADF?

Since 1983, ADF has been a home for modern, Neopagan Druidry that is focused on public-facing worship of the old deities across the Indo-European spectrum of languages and cultures. With over 40 Groves in four countries and nearly 1,000 members worldwide, ADF is one of the largest Druid organizations in the world. ADF’s intent is to craft open, accessible, inclusive worship that anyone can attend and experience, regardless of affiliation or membership, based on the best research and scholarship available to us.

For folks interested in what ADF Druidry has to offer, you can find us online at adf.org, or download and start working The Hearth Keeper’s Way at https://www.adf.org/hearth-keeper-way.html