John Wirenius
Deacon
The Rev. Deacon John Wirenius was ordained a vocational (or permanent) deacon by Bishop Andrew ML Dietsche in 2015. Since then, he has served at St. Bart's as deacon. John has participated in training Eucharistic Visitors and Eucharistic Ministers within the Diocese. He loves leading adult formation classes examining the Anglican tradition and its relevance today, and the adventure of the spiritual life. John has written and edited several books and articles, ranging from literary fiction to theology.
When he isn’t at St. Bart's, John is a lawyer pursuing a mission of conciliation and reconciliation in the field of labor law, as Chair of the New York State Public Employment Board (“PERB” for short). In that part of his life, John works to bring parties together, and sits on the Board that decides legal questions about the rights of labor and management. The new law giving farm laborers in New York State the right to organize and collectively bargain is administered and enforced by PERB under John’s direction.
John is married to Catherine Isobe, a lawyer for Brooklyn Legal Services. They split their time between Albany and Brooklyn, where John practices his violin to the outrage of their cats.