Annual Clergy Report for 2025

This report is designed to be a reflective process for each priest.  This is an opportunity to reflect on the year.  Each priest’s work is as unique and individual as they are, and as such we expect the responses to this report to be just as varied.  

Covering January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025

Categories of the Report include: A celebration of and reflection on our accomplishments; detailing and reflecting on how we’ve kept our Clergy Oath this past year; detailing and reflecting on continuing educational opportunities we’ve done this past year; a reflection on our cClergy Order Work; and a general reflection on how we met goals from last year and what we plan to do in the coming year.

A Celebration of Accomplishments

This report has a way of bringing fear of failure with it.  While we understand the fear, we also know that each member of our clergy is absolutely doing good work.  Additionally, we don’t spend a lot of time sharing our accomplishments with each other throughout the year.  Therefore, in this section, we’d love for you to brag about yourself. 

What are you most proud of this year in relation to your clergy work?

I’ve been doing intensive training this year in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) through ACPE.  I’ve finished my 4 unit residency in December, and was hired to start work as a full time staff chaplain at our local children’s hospital.  

What have you accomplished this year that you hope will inspire others?

Part of the process for CPE is preparing for Board Certification through the Association of Professional Chaplains: Board of Chaplaincy Certification.  That includes having a graduate theological degree and being endorsed by an approved faith tradition.  ADF was not part of their approved list.  Part of what I did this year was get ADF on the list of approved endorsers for APC.  This means that anyone who comes after me seeking board certification won’t have to do that step.  Additionally, I applied for Graduate Equivalency through their process using our Study Program courses, and was granted more than 72 Semester Hours of credit (the required amount for full BCC).  While this won’t carry over as directly to others following in my footsteps, I now know how to clarify our courses as they exist so that they will more easily transfer that credit, should someone else wish to use ADFs study programs for graduate equivalency through APC.  I did a LOT of trailblazing this year.  

Other Accomplishments/Awards

  • Awared “Appreciation Award 2025 for Contributions to the Pagan Community” at the Columbus Witches’ Ball
  • Installed at ADF ArchDruid
  • 4 Units of ACPE accredited Clinical Pastoral Education completed at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center
  • Accepted to the MDiv program at the Methodist Theological School of Ohio with a full merit-based scholarship

Commitment to the ADF Clergy Oath

I pledge to love the land, serve the folk, and honor the gods.
To this I dedicate my hands, my heart, and my head.
I further dedicate myself to continue my endeavors to the program of study of Ár nDraíocht Féin

In what ways have you “loved the land” this past year?

Nature-Based Community Service:

  • I did service work to maintain the building and grounds of 3CGs partnered UU church
  • I participated in clean-up hikes with our Cub Scouts Pack & Scouting America Troop.

Nature Awareness Work:

  • Intentional monthly hiking to reconnect with nature

Advocacy & Environmental Activism:

  • I continue to raise rabbits ethically and sustainably for meat.

Natural Spaces Built & Maintained:

  • I did less gardening/homesteading this year due to the intensity of my day job, however the parts I continued with continued to connect me with the land.
  • I took up caring for more houseplants to mitigate the loss I felt from doing less gardening work.

In what ways have you “served the folk” this past year? 

Special Occasion Services:

  • My Installation at Wellspring
  • Ordination Rite for Rev. C Oleg Wildridge at Summerland
  • co-led Unity Rite at Harvest Nights

High Day & Moon Services:

  • Led/co-led 8 High Days & 13 Druid Moons for our grove
  • Led 6 High Days at the Ohio Reformatory for Women/Songbird Stedding Fellowship Prison Worship Group (due to state contract negotiations, I was unable to lead Lughnasa & Au.Eq)
  • Beltane, Samhain, & Yule mini festival days at ORW

Digital Media Created:

Sacred Art Created:

  • modified Agnihotra kit for use during personal and grove rites
  • (other projects noted under “Honor the Gods”)

Spiritual Care Work:

  • Mentored 3-4 inmates through completion of their Dedicant Path work.
  • Mentored 2-4 aspirant priests, and ongoing mentorship on an as needed basis for peer clergy
  • Hospital visits outside of employed chaplain work
  • Engaged in 1:1 spiritual care chats roughly 2x/week.

Chaplaincy:

Chaplain Resident at Grant Medical Center:

  • Worked full-time (40hr/week) as a Chaplain at local Level 1 Trauma Hospital. Responsibilities include:
    • rounding on patients to complete Emotional and Spiritual Assessments, providing spiritual interventions, End of Life and Decedent care, on call assignments for crisis visits, caring for staff and families following distressing situations

Chaplain at the Ohio Reformatory for Women

  • Once a week through January-June, High Days only July-December: providing spiritual care and religious services to inmates. serving primarily the needs of the pagan inmate population, but also others on an as needed basis. (caseload averages 200-250 people). Duties include:
    • Teaching a weekly beginner class.  These classes have roughly 40-60 people.
    • Teaching a weekly advanced class.  Topics for this class vary based on interest. These classes have roughly 5-10 people
    • Leading a weekly blessing rite.  These follow the COoR, and include set prayers and songs, and an opportunity for the inmates to make offerings.  These services have roughly 40-60 people. 
    • Leading High Day services.  These High Days have roughly 50-80 people.
    • Beltane, Samhain, & Yule mini festival days.  I’ve brought in volunteers to make an all-day event of these two high days.  Volunteers have taught workshops, and then attended the High Day rite.
    • Providing Pastoral Care both as needed, and by appointment, every week.
    • Overseeing the Pagan Choir I helped the inmates form, and providing them with sheet music, recordings, and guidance.  

Grove Specific Work:

  • Attended weekly meetings for our grove (ex: Business, Liturgy, Summerland Planning, Workshop, Lore, Study)
  • Attended weekly bardic rehearsals for our grove.
  • service work to maintain the building and grounds of 3CGs partnered UU church
  • Annual Liturgical Planning Meeting

Service in Leadership Roles:

Vice Archdruid (January-April)

  • Attended bi-weekly meetings of the MG.
  • Wrote articles for Oak Leaves (specifics noted under Continuing Ed)
  • Keep ADF Calendar up to date
  • Calculate and send out Mound Journey dates
  • Compiled & Edited ADF Annual Report

Archdruid (May-December)

  • Spiritual Leadership work expected of Archdruid
  • ADF Annual Meeting
  • Attended & led monthly meetings of the MG.
  • Attended meetings supporting the Dedicant Path Revision.
  • Attended meetings supporting the new ADF LMS implementation.
  • Attended the following festivals/gatherings: Wellspring, Summerland, Harvest Nights, Clergy Retreat, MG Retreat
  • Keep ADF Calendar up to date
  • Wrote articles for Oak Leaves (specifics noted under Continuing Ed)
  • Admin work expected of Archdruid

In what ways have you “honored the gods” this past year?

Seasons & Cycles Observed

  • 8 High Days, New & Full Moons
    • Generally, High Days are celebrated at least twice: once with ORW, and once with 3CG.  I occasionally attend other Grove rites virtually as well.  

Order Work & Regular Practice

  • Mound Journeys most months (includes short ritual, offerings, trance journey, and write-up/reflection)
  • Altar Work roughly 3x/week (includes prayers, divination, and/or offerings)
  • Trance work has increased since Installation, averaging 3x/week now

Devotional Work

  • wrote & shared 30 Prayers during #PrayerADay
  • wrote 2 deity praise songs (Nehalennia & Arawn)
  • wrote 1 spiritual-adjacent song (“CPE Is… (Surgery in the Trauma Bay)”)
  • crafted Brigid corn dollie (Brideog)

Shrines/Sanctuaries Created and/or Maintained

  • modified Agnihotra kit for use during personal and grove rites
  • Personal home shrine/working altar
  • Personal Homestead

Deity/ Spirit Relationships Initiated and/or Maintained

  • Patron Relationships: Poseidon
  • Regular Work: Hestia, Teutates, Garanus, Earth Mother, The Stranger
  • Occasional Work: Anahita, Ogmios, Ushas, Artemis, Nehalennia, Jesus, Mary

In what ways have you engaged in ongoing study/education to enhance your clergy work this past year?

Books/Articles Published (Oaks Leaves & HellenicDruid.com)

Festivals & Workshops/Rituals Attended

Attended the following workshops/rituals at these events:

Wellspring:

  • “Wellspring Bardic Performances” MC’s by Thexalon
  • “Wellspring Main Rite & Rev. Jan’s Installation”
  • “Brigid in Indo-European Perspective” by Cei Seirith
  • “Expanding your Rhythmic Palette” by Thexalon
  • “Ritual Honoring Brigid” led by Rev. Ian Corrigan & Rev. Sue Parker-Wyndham
  • “Slavic Glagolitsa Oracle”by Oleg Wildridge
  • “Some Gaulish Deities” by Cei Serith
  • “Artisan’s Guild Gallery Showing”

Summerland

  • “Summerland Main Rite & Rev. C Oleg Wildridge Ordination” led by Rev. Jan Avende
  • “Summerland Bardic Circle” MC’d by Mike Bierschenk
  • “Intro to Festival Drumming” by J. Fenn Ziskind-Waldermacher
  • “Tending the Inner Grove: A Journey into Self-Energy and Spiritual Magic” by Maggie Dangler

Harvest Nights

  • “ADF Unity Rite” @ Harvest Nights
  • “Meeting the Charter Oak” by Rev. Kathleen
  • “Bardic Circle”

Columbus Witches Ball

  • “Witches’ Ball Main Rite”
  • “A Great and Subtle Weaving–Animism as a Political and Economic Force” by H Byron Ballard

Workshops Taught

  • “Pagan Afterlife Beliefs & Death Practices” @ The Wellington School
  • “Chaplaincy Skills for Pagans” @ Summerland
  • “Open Systems of Divination” @ Harvest Nights
  • “Paganism for Chaplains” @ Nationwide Children’s Hospital
  • “Building Relationships with the Not-Gods” @ the Columbus Witches’ Ball
  • “Journal Club: Tea for the Soul” @ OhioHealth CPE

Outside Education

  • completed 3 units of ACPE accredited CPE

Professional Conferences Attended

  • “50 Ways for Things to Get Better” by Kathleen Smith, PhD, LPC @ Bowen’s Group Theory Webinar
  • “Asking Questions in a Quick-Fix Culture” by Kathleen Smith, PhD, LPC @ Bowen’s Group Theory Webinar
  • Association of Professional Chaplains 2025 Fall Symposium

Articles Read

  • Regularly read “Under the Ancient Oaks” posts by John Beckett
  • Regularly read “White Cat Grove” posts by Kwannon
  • Fowler, J., & Dell, M. (2006). Stages of faith from infancy through adolescence: reflections on three decades of faith development theory. In E. C. Roehlkepartain, P. E. King, L. Wagener, P. L. Benson (Eds.) Stages of faith from infancy through adolescence: Reflections on three decades of faith development theory (pp. 34-45). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412976657.n3
  • Kestenbaum, A., Shields, M., James, J., Hocker, W., Morgan, S., Karve, S., Rabow, M. W., & Dunn, L. B. (2017). What Impact Do Chaplains Have? A Pilot Study of Spiritual AIM for Advanced Cancer Patients in Outpatient Palliative Care. Journal of pain and symptom management, 54(5), 707–714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2017.07.027
  • Stevens, F., & Taber, K. (2021). The neuroscience of empathy and compassion in pro-social behavior. Neuropsychologia, 159,Article 107925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107925
  • Butler, L. D ., Critelli, F. M ., & Rinfrette, E. S. (2011). Trauma-informed care and mental health. Directions in Psychiatry, 31(3), 197–212.
  • Hotchkiss, J. T., & Lesher, R. (2018). Factors Predicting Burnout Among Chaplains: Compassion Satisfaction, Organizational Factors, and the Mediators of Mindful Self-Care and Secondary Traumatic Stress. Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling: Advancing Theory and Professional Practice through Scholarly and Reflective Publications, 72(2), 86-98. https://doi.org/10.1177/1542305018780655 (Original work published 2018)
  • Priest, N., & Williams, D. R. (2021). Structural Racism: A Call to Action for Health and Health Disparities Research. Ethnicity & disease, 31(Suppl 1), 285–288. https://doi.org/10.18865/ed.31.S1.285
  • Appelhans B. M. (2023). The Cognitive Burden of Poverty: A Mechanism of Socioeconomic Health Disparities. American journal of preventive medicine, 64(2), 293–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2022.08.012
  • Kestenbaum, Allison & McEniry, Kelly & Friedman, Sarah & Kent, Jennifer & Ma, Joseph & Roeland, Eric. (2021). Spiritual AIM: assessment and documentation of spiritual needs in patients with cancer. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy. 28. 1-12. 10.1080/08854726.2021.2008170. 
  • Callis, A., Cacciata, M., Wickman, M., & Choi, J. (2022). An effective in-hospital chaplaincy-led care program for nurses: Tea for the soul a qualitative investigation. Journal of health care chaplaincy, 28(4), 526–539. https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2021.1932134

Books Read

  • Yalom, I. D., & Leszcz, M. (2020). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (6th edition). Basic Books (Chapters 2, 11, and 13)
  • Desmond, M. (2023). Poverty, by America. Crown.
  • Schwartz, R. C., & Morissette, A. (2021). No bad parts: healing trauma & restoring wholeness with the Internal Family Systems model. Sounds True.
  • Schwartz, R. C., & Sweezy, M. (2020). Internal family systems therapy (Second edition). The Guilford Press.
  • Lipsky, L. v. D., Burk, C., & Conte, J. R. (2009). Trauma stewardship : an everyday guide to caring for self while caring for others (First edition). Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
  • Zakroff, L. T. (2022). The gorgon’s guide to magical resistance. Revelore Press.
  • McClintock, K. A. (2022). Trauma-informed pastoral care : how to respond when things fall apart. Fortress Press.
  • Anderson, F. G., Sweezy, M., & Schwartz, R. C. (2017). Internal family systems skills training manual : trauma-informed treatment for anxiety, depression, PTSD & substance abuse. PESI Publishing & Media.
  • Richo, D. (2008). The five things we cannot change : and the happiness we find by embracing them (1st Mass Market ed). Shambhala.
  • Barrett, L. F. (2017). How emotions are made : the secret life of the brain (First Mariner Books edition). Mariner Books.
  • Stein, M. (2002). Fearless Interviewing. McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing.
  • Jazwiec, L. (2009). Eat that cookie! : make workplace positivity pay off–for individuals, teams, and organizations. Fire Starter Pub.
  • Joukhadar, Z. (2020). The thirty names of night : a novel (First Atria Paperback edition). Atria Paperback.
  • West, C. (2021). We all have parts : an illustrated guide to healing trauma with internal family systems. PESI Publishing.
  • McKelvey, D. K. (2021). Every moment holy volume 2 : death, grief, and hope. Rabbit Room Press.
  • Heyam, K. (2022). Before we were trans : a new history of gender (First Trade Paperback Edition). Seal Press.
  • Kimmerer, R. W. (2024). The serviceberry : abundance and reciprocity in the natural world (First Scribner hardcover edition). Scribner.

Is there anything else you’d like to add about how you engaged with your oath this past year?

The Oath I took as AD, which expands my existing clergy oath:

I, Rev. Jan Avende, have answered the Call to serve as ArchDruid of Ár nDraíocht Féin.

This is not my first call to service, as I have come from the Fire at the Center of Worlds, and I have offered my hands, head, and heart to this work long before this moment.  But this is the Call I answer now, to further the ways I love the land, honor the gods, and serve the folk. 
Stepping into this role:

  • I will pray with the Good Fire and illuminate the dark places, drawing folk of good will to our shared sacred center. 
  • I will listen for the hum of the spirits, watch for their signs and omens, and act as a liaison between this world and the otherworld. 
  • I will assume positive intent. We all tend the same tree; we all work toward the same goal. 
  • I will model inclusivity and kindness, listening to those on the edges, and giving voice to the voiceless.
  • I will sit in fellowship with the Folk, for this is the Fire we share, kindled within each of our heart shrines. 
  • I will allow our virtues to guide my words and deeds, letting my actions speak as often as my words. 
  • I will be humble enough to receive criticism, and brave enough to implement changes based on it. 

If I should falter in this work: 
I will seek help as necessary, and should the role prove beyond my abilities or if my life’s circumstances should prevent me from fulfilling these duties I will step aside to allow another to take my place. 

So now I, Rev. Jan Avende, offer my hands, head, and heart once more, to uphold the office and responsibilities of ArchDruid of Ár nDraíocht Féin.

May the Land ground me in my values. 
May the Sea wash away my insecurities. 
May the Sky kindle the flame in me. 

So be it!

Clergy Order Work

Retreat Days & Mound Journeys

I continue to observe these as smaller chunks to fit into my life as a working parent. Trance work has intensified since Installation.  In my experience now, the AD has additional expectations (from the spirits) on what they need to be doing to serve as a bridge between worlds. I keep regular journals on these trance journeys, as well as any omens I take, and review and reflect on them during my retreat days.

Self-Reflection

Reflect on your experience as an ADF priest in the past year. 

I have had to do a lot of re-assessing my boundaries and capacity this year.  Both because of my full time work as a chaplain, and then again with my installation as AD.  I have had to learn what things are better set down, de-prioritized, or delegated.  It has been a hard lesson, and one I’ve struggled with.  Working through CPE though has given me lots of new tools for managing those struggles, as well as better assessing priorities.

What plans or projects are you planning to take on in the coming year?

I will be settling into my first year of work as a NICU staff chaplain.  Rev. Michael J Dangler and I are also intending to re-launch our podcast “Druids in Cars”.  Many of my other plans are wrapped up in the goals and expectations of Archdruid.  I will continue writing for Oak Leaves, providing Spiritual Leadership, and making connections across pagan traditions as I’m able. 

Some Goals I Missed on Last Year:

Post/share workshop handouts, notes, etc to my Patreon, and delayed release to my blog as appropriate

  • I still have workshop notes I would like to get posted to my blog or Patreon.  They’re written on my computer, but I haven’t had a chance to get them out more publicly

Write 1 bardic piece per quarter

  • I wrote 3 songs this year (detailed above).  Not bad considering how busy I’ve been.  Inspiration has been flowing well in the first month of 2026 though, with 2 songs written already for this year, so I’m hopeful as my stress from residency goes down that I’ll be able to write more and more easily.

Books & Articles I want to Read in the Coming Year:

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