Episcopal UN is pleased to welcome Ryan Zavacky as intern for the Office of Global Partnerships, where he will support the UN ministry and Mission Personnel offices. Ryan’s internship runs from September 2022 – May 2023. Welcome, Ryan!

Hello! My name is Ryan Zavacky and I am the new intern for the Episcopal Church’s UN Office.  I am currently attending The General Theological Seminary right here in New York, New York.  I am pursuing my Master’s of Divinity at General as I am a candidate for the priesthood in the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri.  

Before I felt my call to ministry, I wanted to work in the International Relations (IR) field. I went to Alma College and started off studying Political Science with an IR focus.  I did two years with the Model United Nations and won Outstanding Delegation as Tuvalu and St. Vincent and Grenadines and Delegates’ choice as Tuvalu.  Having felt a call to ordained ministry, I changed my major to Religious Studies.  

After graduation, I joined the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC), a mission organization of The Episcopal Church that sends young adults to a foreign Diocese in the Anglican Communion for a year of service. I went to Grahamstown, South Africa, lived with the members of the Order of the Holy Cross Monastery, and worked at a school the monks built for the rural farming community. My year in South Africa was truly life changing; my time allowed me to be transformed by love first to myself, then my neighbor, and then feeling God’s love for the first time. 

Since my time with YASC, I have worked and been involved with various international and cross-cultural groups. I also decided to start my discernment process for the priesthood. I am excited for this opportunity, in my final year of seminary, to work and learn from this valuable part of the Episcopal Church Center where I am based for my internship. I am excited to see how The Episcopal Church engages with the world to promote who God is calling us to be in the world.