Meet Our Team
REV. FRANS VAN SANTEN
Rector
Frans was born and raised in the Netherlands, the country of windmills, tulips, and Van Gogh. On his first visit to the USA in 2011, he met a girl from Florida at a wedding and married her thirteen months later. Frans and Erin started their life together in Amsterdam, where their children Estella and Moses were born.
Starting his career as a business consultant, in 2012 Frans felt that God was calling him to the ministry. He became the director of a Dutch ministry for young professionals, discipled young Christian leaders all over Europe, and created a Dutch course about faith and work. During these years, Frans studied at Tyndale Theological Seminary, graduating with an M.Div. in 2020.
Frans and Erin were members of the Anglican Church in Amsterdam and started a discernment process for the priesthood with the Church of England. In the midst of this process and before the world had any inkling of a pandemic, they decided to move their family to Florida and transfer to the Episcopal Church.
Frans is passionate about the beautiful message of the gospel and desires for everyone to know and experience God’s love. He enjoys preaching, good beer, classical music, theological discussions, time with his family, and Ajax soccer matches.
REV. JOSH REED
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Associate Rector
Josh and his wife Caitlin have been here in Florida for 8 years and have a two wonderful children, Graham and Maisie, and two dogs, Waffles and Luna. Coming from a family of ministers, Josh has been in ministry for 15 years. He has a Master of Arts in Ministry from Portland Seminary and a Bachelor of Theology from Ozark Christian College.
On a Sunday afternoon you’ll find Josh watching the Jacksonville Jaguars, spending time with friends and family, or talking about Lord of the Rings, Narnia and Star Wars; which somehow always work their way into conversations. Josh’s hope is for all of us to come further up and further in to God’s love, which is greater than we can even imagine. If you want to talk about any of those things, ask Josh to grab a coffee or a beer and the rest will be history!
REV. CARLOS CABRERA
Resident Priest
Carlos was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic—a country best known for its white-sand beaches, vibrant music (merengue and bachata), and world-class baseball players. In his 11th year of high school in Santo Domingo, he met his high school sweetheart, Marian, whom he later married. They have been together for nearly 25 years and are blessed with two beautiful daughters, Amanda and Carla.
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Carlos worked as an attorney and litigator in the Dominican Republic for over 15 years. In 2020, his family made the life-changing decision to emigrate to the United States. Around this time, Carlos also felt a deep calling from God to enter into ministry. Since then, he has served as a lay minister at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Kissimmee, has been a member of the Diocesan Board of the Diocese of Central Florida, and has pursued theological studies at Third Millennium Reformed Seminary, working toward a Master of Christian Studies (M.C.S.).
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Carlos was born and raised in a Roman Catholic family, while Marian grew up in an Evangelical Baptist church community. Upon arriving in Florida, they began a new journey of faith together in the Episcopal Church, which eventually led them into a Discernment Process for the Priesthood.
Through his work as a VA Benefits Counselor, serving veterans, Carlos discovered that the Holy Spirit has blessed him with gifts of compassion, pastoral care, and a deep joy in sharing the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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In his free time, Carlos enjoys watching good movies with his family, following sports—especially Major League Baseball (MLB) and the NBA—and sharing a good Rivera or Rioja wine with friends.
REV. SUSAN MOOREHEAD
Deacon
Susan graduated with a Bachelor's of Science degree from the University of Florida- College of Ag, Animal Science Equine Industry. She is currently employed as Nuclear Medicine Technologist for a large cardiology group. Married to a wonderful husband, George; mother of Holly and Sue-L, and grandmother to eight. A wannabe farmer of vegetables, flowers, and poultry. Susan is a lover of God’s Word and so very privileged to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. Susan was ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons in September of 2020.
SAMI BURNS
Parish Administrator
Sami Burns is the Parish Administrator at Grace Episcopal Church. She graduated from USF in Tampa and has a diverse background that includes working as a financial administrator for a church, as well as teaching middle school math and science. After taking some time off to stay home with her young children, she is excited to return to the church setting and contribute to the dynamic community at Grace. She and her family moved to Ocala 2023. Sami and her husband, Cayler, have been married for 10 years and have two children, Micah and Arlo. Outside of work, Sami loves camping, gardening, and exploring new cities.
CATIE HOURIGAN
Children's Ministry Coordinator & Facilities, Events & Communications Manager
Catie Hourigan has many hats at Grace. She has been working at Grace since 2018 and since then she has been the Aftercare Teacher at Grace VPK, Administration Assistant, Livestream/Media Director, Branding Coordinator and now our Children's Ministry Coordinator and Facilities, Events & Communications Manager. She grew up in Ocala, and is married to Brett Hourigan and they have four children. Catie has previously had administration experience as well as Children's ministry experiences for many years at her previous church.
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Catie and her family really enjoy being outside, going on trips and especially love going to Disney and anything Star Wars.
PEGGY BOURNE
Church Office Manager
Peggy Bourne accepted the opportunity to fill some of the gaps left with the retirement of Deacon Mary. Some of her tasks include: Scheduling Chalice Ministers and Wednesday Readers, preparing the Prayers of the People, managing the member database and on-line directory, inventorying and organizing the church archives, and supporting the work of the Card Ministry.
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Peggy, along with her wonderful husband Rick, moved to Ocala in 2018 when Rick accepted the position of CEO of Hospice of Marion County. While he was working, she kept the “home fires burning” so that they could spend any time he was not in the office exploring Florida, learning about the culture and enjoying the many diverse eating and entertainment opportunities.
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Peggy was born and raised in Montana. She studied Public Administration at the University of Montana. Her career focused on public records management. To this day, she gains enormous pleasure from inventorying and organizing rooms stuffed with years and years of old records.
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She also enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with Rick and their dachshund Maddie. She is excited to grow in her faith and to serve our Lord as a member of the Daughters of the King and with these varied volunteer responsibilities at Grace Episcopal.
MEAGAN THOMPSON
Church Secretary
Meagan serves as Secretary and is excited to be a new member of the team. She studied music in college, focusing on both choral and instrumental performance/education, and has spent the past 10 years teaching music in private and classroom settings. She is grateful for the opportunity to serve God’s kingdom through her work here at Grace, whether preparing the bulletin, connecting with parishioners and volunteers, or building meaningful relationships within the church community and our neighbors at Ambleside. She approaches each task with care and gratitude, thankful to play a part in the life of Grace.
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