Clergy

Clergy at Christ Church of the Ascension

The Very Rev. Daniel P. Richards, Rector

The Rev. Daniel Richards has spent his career teaching about the Rule of God and welcoming the children of God home. He is a passionate preacher and teacher who fell in love with liturgy in college. That love of liturgy led from a Baptist childhood steeped in Scripture to ministry in the Episcopal Church after college.

Daniel has served professionally in the church since 1995. Ordained as a priest in 2003, Daniel earned his Master of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific while serving St. James Episcopal Church in San Francisco as a worship leader and intern and at the Diocese of California as Associate Coordinator of Young Adult Ministries and Church Development. He served parishes in both Tucson and Phoenix, as curate and vicar, before heading to Traverse City, Michigan, where he served as rector of Grace Episcopal Church and dean of the Grand Traverse Area Deanery. He has led international trips for both missions and pilgrimage, consulted with both secular and faith groups about culture and leadership, and currently serves as the Chaplain to the Phoenix Fire Department. 

Daniel lives in Phoenix with his wife Amy and three children where he reads voraciously, writes, and enjoys trail running in absurd temperatures. You can find his personal writing at HiddenHabits.org and find him on social media @danieloftheway on everything. He can be reached at 602-840-8210 or click here to send Daniel an email.

The Rev. Erin Cox Oney

As the Chaplain for the school, Erin has been a part of the parish for eighteen years. You will find her most weekdays leading the chapel services and teaching religion. On Sundays you will either find her serving at the altar as one of the deacons, or playing with the kids in Vacation Bible School.

Chaplain Erin is currently in her last year of seminary at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, CA. She is a postulant in this diocese and will hopefully (God willing and the Bishop consenting) be ordained to the priesthood in the Spring of 2022.

Erin has been married to Rich for thirty-seven years, and they have three adult children and two grandchildren. She is a proud Gamma and is always willing to show you a photo! Consider yourself warned!

The Rev. Deacon Jean Hawkins

Jean Hawkins is a cradle Episcopalian born in Detroit, Michigan. As a child, her family moved around the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic states, moving from church to church. Jean graduated high school in West Virginia and engineering school at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She married her college sweetheart weeks after graduation and took an engineering job at Motorola’s semiconductor business in Phoenix. Mark and Jean have two grown daughters, Elizabeth and Aynsley, who live out of state. Currently, Jean works full time for HonorHealth in Information Technology.

The family found a spiritual home at Christ Church of the Ascension where they have belonged for 25 years. Jean served two terms on the Vestry, taught Sunday School (grades 5-12) and confirmation class. After completing Education for Ministry in 2013, She became a mentor for EfM in 2017. Serving her faith community is an honor she is privileged to continue as your Deacon since her Ordination in June 2021.