Meet Us

Mother Diana Jacoba Wheeler, cdw

I am the Rev. Deacon Diana Wheeler, cdw, founding magistra of the Companions of Dorothy the Worker.

A San Francisco native, I was ordained a vocational deacon 21 years ago in the Episcopal Diocese of California (based in SF).  I was sainted by the Sisters of Perpetual motherhouse in 2010 and recognized as saint by the Fourth City Sisters. I moved to St Louis, MO in October 2023 and was put to work by the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri almost immediately in supporting their queer ministry ministries.

I am a vowed Franciscan who has lived in a religious community for a number of years as well in dispersed communities. I have served in many roles within the church and in the community, including spiritual direction, formation and education , mentorship, congregational development, usual churchy stuff; I was a night minister in San Francisco for 10 years and deacon of Oasis, California. I am also an active member of the Imperial Court System.

My joy is spiritual companioning of folx who long for a connection with the Divine and the Church but haven’t felt welcomed or safe. My passion is promoting ethical ministry in the queer community and supporting others called by God to ministry. It’s my privilege and responsibility to witness to the Church the real needs of the people I serve.

The Right Reverend Deon Johnson

11th Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

The Companions of Dorothy the Worker Welcomes The Rt Rev’d Deon Johnson as our Bishop Visitor

Deon Kevin Johnson was born and raised in a small village on the Caribbean island of Barbados. His faith was formed under the watchful eye of his maternal grandmother who taught him how to pray, how to listen with his heart and introduced him to the beauty of worship in the hymns and spirituals she sang throughout Deon’s childhood.

His grandmother’s presence and prayers continued to influence him as he immigrated from Barbados to New York at the age of 14. “Leaving my mother and grandmother behind was perhaps one of the most difficult journeys my older brother and I could ever undertake,” Johnson recalls. “Because of their unconditional love, and the faithful witness of many others, I have been shaped into the person and priest I am today.”

After receiving Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and History and an Associates degree in Biology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH (2000), he went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree from The General Theological Seminary in New York, NY (2003).

Deon served as Associate Rector at Christ Episcopal Church in Shaker Heights, OH (2003-2006), and most recently as Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brighton, MI (2006-2020). A veteran Episcopal priest with deep experience in social justice issues and ministry to gay and lesbian communities, he has served in many positions in the wider church and the community. He continues to serve on the Taskforce for Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision and as a consultant with the Office of Black Ministries.

The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri elected the Rev. Deon Kevin Johnson as its 11th diocesan bishop on Nov. 23, 2019, at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis. He was elected on the first ballot at the diocesan convention during an election that involved 164 voting delegates. He received 71 votes from lay delegates and 42 votes from clergy.

Bishop Johnson was ordained as the 11th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri on June 13, 2020, at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis. His ordination was originally scheduled for April 25, 2020, but the coronavirus forced a postponement of the event. Throughout the pandemic, Bishop Deon has has led with compassion and hope, redefining the mission and vision for The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri.

Bishop Johnson and his husband Jhovanny Osorio are the proud parents of two children, Lilohalani and Ja’Lon. He enjoys cooking, photography, hiking and being an armchair movie critic.

The Rev’d Ricardo Ramirez Lopez, Religious Protector

Fr. Rick is from Midland, Texas, the land of wide-open sky. Throughout his life, he has felt the call to share the love of God with all, no matter who they are or where they have been. Fr. Rick has had quite a colorful journey, including having been a member of a Roman Catholic religious order where he was able to minister in many places around the U.S. as well as in Mexico, Bolivia and Zambia both as a Brother and a priest with his ordination on 22 May 2010. Very much in love with God, and serving in faith, after much discernment, he felt a call to step away from the Roman Catholic Church. After continued discernment, he found a home in the Episcopal Church where he was received and is serving as Priest-in-Charge of the Odessa Episcopal Communities which include St. John’s, St. Barnabas, and San Miguel Arcángel Episcopal Churches. He also serves as chaplain of St. John’s Episcopal School and sits on the board of Pride Center West Texas. He is also a proud member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, being a far-flung member of the Weird City Sisters in Austin, Texas, where he professed vows in May of 2018. Among the house, he is known as Sister Amor.

Recognizing that God calls in many ways, Fr. Rick found and joined the Ecumenical Order of Charity where he is a vowed life member and has chosen to take on a name based on three inspirational holy people along his spiritual journey. These three are St. John of the Cross, Sor. Juana Ines de la Cruz, and Blessed Charles de Foucauld. Wanting to honor and celebrate the lives of these three people, Fr. Rick has taken on the religious name Bro. Charles of the Cross. He recognizes that God’s love is at work in all of us and wants to celebrate the immense love of God with everyone he meets. He also reminds people on a regular basis that you are beautiful and you are loved. As a part of the Ecumenical Order of Charity, he has also dedicated his home as a place of prayer and charity, placing it under the patronage of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. His home is known as Casa Sagrado Corazon.

R+

You are beautiful.

You are loved.

Sister Marie Noelle Murphy, CDW

Sister Marie-Noelle is a founding Companion of CDW.   She was born and raised in San Francisco, eventually moving to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio then returning to San Francisco where she has lived since 2000.  She works in a law firm that specializes in estate planning as a Legal Secretary in the Financial District of San Francisco.  In addition, she serves as the treasurer for CDW.  She is also a member of the San Francisco House of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, serving as the 2019 Board Chair, and various other roles with the Sisters in the years prior to becoming fully professed in December 2013.

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Priest Alan Young, CDW

Pr. Alan, a founding Companion, serves as Provost to The Companions of Dorothy the Worker. Pr. Alan is a bi-vocational priest who holds a secular position in human services and resides in Saint Louis, Missouri. After ordination to the priesthood, he has served various churches / religious organizations in The United States as well as Central and South America in both Old Catholic and ISM communities. As a theologian, Pr. Alan now serves as the Administrative Director of Institute Sophia in Saint Louis, Missouri.

In January of 2023, Pr. Alan was received back into the Episcopal Church as a communicant at Christ Church Cathedral in the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri.

Prior to seminary, Pr. Alan worked for a major provider of behavioral health services in the greater San Francisco Bay Area where he discerned a call to attend seminary with the intent to learn new ways of helping individuals and communities develop questions of meaning and methods of meaning-making in relation to those questions.

Having completed his Bachelor of Arts at New College of California, he then enrolled at The Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California to begin his master's level studies. This created many opportunities for research and travel at noted universities including Oxford University and The University of Winchester. In addition to his Bachelor of Arts, Pr. Alan holds a Master of Arts in Leadership from New College of California, a Master of Divinity from Starr King School for The Ministry, a member school of the GTU, and a Master of Philosophy from The University of Winchester.

Rev. Ben “Simon” Dinglasan, CDW

They/them/their

Simon is a founding member of CDW and serves as Vice Provost and Formation Guardian. They were born in the Philippines and raised in New York City, eventually moving to San Francisco where they became a friar with the Society of Saint Francis (a religious order in The Episcopal Church) from 2007 to 2014. Having received their Master of Divinity from Bexley Seabury Seminary in 2024, they currently serve as the rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in Santa Cruz, CA – part of the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real. In addition to supporting the life of the Companions as a Formation Counselor and in numerous other practical ways, they are also a trained spiritual director and meet with folks regularly to companion them on their journey of nurturing a deeper intimacy with their spirituality/higher power/connection to the Universe/sense of self. After a 2023 seminary trip to Israel/Palestine, Simon also joined the national Board of the Friends of Sabeel, North America (FOSNA) which strives to promote a nonviolent Palestinian liberation theology.

Brother Tikohn Pethoud, COS

Oblate Emeritus

Brother Tikhon was a founding Oblate of the Companions of Dorothy the Worker. He was born and raised in Southern California. However, except for six years when he attended an Eastern Orthodox seminary and a Roman Catholic university in Pennsylvania, he has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for most of his life. He is a Benedictine solitary. He has dedicated himself to following Christ through a contemplative vocation and ministering to others through prayer. He continues to pray for The Companions of Dorothy The Worker and their mission

Mother Angie McLachlan, CDW

A precious part of Angie McLachlan’s heart is in the Castro, a place inhabited still – albeit in spirit, by the poet, ‘Crip-Gay Activist’ and self-confessed ‘Café Queen’ Christopher Hewitt, her cousin.

Angie learned how to be a priest in the 1980s as a Lay member and worship leader at Metropolitan Community Church Bournemouth, by watching the inspirational pastor. At that time, MCCB was the largest LGBTQ church community in Europe; pastored by Revd. Neil G. Thomas who is now Senior Pastor at Cathedral of Hope in Dallas Texas. As an Embalmer by profession, Angie’s ministry beyond the church walls was soon to focus on helping to raise funds and supporting the much needed AIDS Hospice ‘Sanctuary’ – and in gifting professional care as and when required. Angie holds a copy of the Sanctuary Memorial Book in her Sanctuary. Revd. Neil was at the heart of showing the care of Christ in action, through service with love.

Eventually after completing seminary study, Angie was Ordained into the Liberal Catholic Church International and was, in time, selected to serve as Bishop of the Province of Great Britain and Ireland. She has a BA Hons in Death Loss and Palliative Care and an MA in Religion, alongside Diplomas in Embalming, NLP, Foot Healthcare Practice and Theosophy. In September 2021, Angie left the Liberal Catholic Church to found ‘Liberated Catholic Community for Independence’ a new Community organization maintaining Liberal Catholic roots in addition to New Ways of approaching Ministry and Service.

Retired from the funeral service, Angie now works as a Cultural Interpreter, specializing in death. She teaches trainee funeral providers and Soul Midwives/Death Companions how to care for those who are at end of life and who have passed. She invented a training aide Ichabod Smith, a ‘death dummy’ to assist her in this ministry and always manages to place a focus on LGBTQI folk somewhere in her training sessions… having ‘Come Out’ 34 years ago and identifying as Gender Queer it seems rude to her not to be able to educate, support and celebrate our glorious diversity at all stages of life!

The study of mysticism, world religions, meditation, prayer and contemplation fill Angie’s days, aside that is from her wife Catherine and elderly ‘selectively deaf’ dog Ozzie.

Rev. Hannah Elyse Cornthwaite, CDW
she/they

Hannah (she/they) was born and raised on a small island in Alaska, eventually making their way to San Francisco by way of Montana and Iowa. They are a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of California and serve as vicar at St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church, San Francisco. Hannah loves being a companion as folx walk through the complexities of daily life, grow into a deeper understanding of themselves, and wrestle with their spirituality and connection to God/Divine/Source and the church.

They are interested in early church theology of sexuality + friendship, indigenous spirituality, racial + gender justice, and spirituality + trauma. hannah finds grounding in yoga, breathwork, oracle cards, Bay Area sports, and making art.

Sr. Merry Peter, SPI

Sr. Merry Peter, SPI (She/Her/They/Them) felt a vocation stirring very early in life. She relished bedtime when her mum would read her the stories of the Great Celtic Saints and she served at the altar all through grade school, drawn to the energy and magic of ritual and the beauty of swishing robes and gleaming accessories. Despite a challenging confirmation process as a teenager, she went on to high school, where during a career preference test her number one vocation was “religious sister/nun”. During high school and university she explored her vocation to the priesthood.

After university, Merry Peter was drawn to life in a L’Arche community where she shared daily life with people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities in both Canada and France. While at L’Arche she enrolled in the Toronto School of Theology. As a divinity student she co-founded the LGBT Student Union and led a successful national campaign that saw conversion therapy banned in Canada in 2023. During her graduate studies her work was deeply informed by the AIDS pandemic, political activism, liberation theology and queer spirituality as well as a connection with the queer men who founded the Toronto Catholic Worker House.

In 1987, she was encouraged to consider ministry “outside the church walls” where so many were suffering. During a retreat she was introduced to the Radical Fairies and one of the co-founders of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Merry Peter saw through their example how the fragmented elements of her vocation could come together. She took her vows as a Sister and returned to Toronto and spent a decade of ministry and activism in the queer community. In 1999 Merry Peter moved to San Francisco and became active as a member of the Mother House.

Her life-long activism focuses on HIV-AIDS, queer youth, civil rights, and social justice. In her work as a drag nun, Merry Peter supports street-level health services to sex workers, transgender and gender non-conforming inclusion, legal aid for LGBTQIA2S+ refugees, and resistance to police violence. Since 2017 she participated in Drag Out the Vote to protect voting rights and push queer people to organize, run, register, and vote in every election. As part of Drag Queen Story Hour she loves opening new worlds to children and does her best to confound fascists and bigots with her razor-sharp wit and withering shade. Merry Peter is a poet, writer, and former sex-worker. As an ordained minister, she joined the fight for equal marriage in San Francisco in 2004 and regularly performs wedding and other life affirming ceremonies. She was delighted to become a part of the Companions of Dorothy and to support others in their vocations, particularly as they serve the LGBTQ community. She lives on the Northern California coast with her husband of 25 years. Check-out the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and connect with Sr. Merry Peter on Instagram and Facebook.

The Rev. Deacon Leevi Nora, Obl CDW

pronouns: they/them/

The Rev. Deacon Leevi Nora lives in Helsinki, Finland. They have a Bachelor’s Degree in History of Art from the University of Aberdeen and a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Helsinki. Leevi is an active member of the Companions of Dorothy the Worker and they serve as a Deacon in the Liberated Catholic Community for Independents, which is part of the Liberal Catholic tradition. Leevi is working to establish local communities of both of these communities in Finland. They are currently providing an informative as well as spiritual internet presence both in Finnish and English, and they are interested in making more local contacts - especially with ecumenical, interreligious and human rights organizations -  and joining others in common work for peace and justice.

Leevi has a lifelong interest in feminism, theology, religions, critical studies, spirituality, working for human rights, especially focusing on the rights of the LGBTQIA+ people and women, cultural studies, art, literature and film. In their own multidisciplinary artistic work they explore identity, existentialism, sexuality, body, trauma healing, the effects of trauma, and spirituality. They also translate liturgical texts and create gender neutral language versions of liturgical texts. They have a special interest in the liturgical and devotional history and life of Christian traditions. In the future Leevi wants to serve as a non-stipendiary priest and provide spiritual care, and continue to support the Queer community, locally and globally, through activism and spiritual service.

Leevi wants to witness an open-minded and world-embracing way of living out spiritual life in our contemporary society. Promoting safer space, social justice, peace, community, inclusivity and care for the planet are important parts of this witness.

Katherine Magdalene Rose (formerly Brother Karekin, BSG) - Protector Emerita

I was privileged to act as the Protector of the Companions from their inception until 2017, holding responsibility for the pastoral care of its members, vouchsafing for their stability and security to the broader church, and acting as their court of final appeal in cases where their founding documents don’t yet help them achieve resolution to new challenges.

I come to the Companions with 25 years experience as a professed member of the Brotherhood of Saint Gregory, a religious community in the Episcopal Tradition. After 20 years in vows, I disclosed my truth as a transgender person and have navigated the questions and challenges posed by that identity in both my community and the broader church.

I am a spiritual director for over 25 years, a published author, queer activist, and I have served the queer community as a spiritual companion almost the entirety of my adult life.

I am the former Sacred Space Minister for San Francisco Night Ministry, acting effectively as a Chaplain for the queer communities in the Castro, Tenderloin, and SOMA districts in San Francisco. I work in non-profit in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District providing low income housing and supportive services. 

Spiritually and politically, I am a Christian Anarchist, and theologically deeply orthodox believing that it inexorably leads to an expansive vision of love. 

Pronouns: she/her/hers 

Protector Emeritus Jude Hill

Jude Hill served as the second Brother Protector of the Companions of Dorothy the Worker. During his time as a member of the Society of Saint Francis, he was instrumental in the founding of the Companions and provided vital practical and spiritual support to all of our Companions. HIs time in leadership in the Society of Saint Francis (where he was a brother for over 40 years) and as the president of CAROA (Conference of Anglican Religious Orders of the Americas) gave him experience of religious life that he most generously shared.