News at St. Catherine's
Whitney Zimmerman Edwards '94
After serving at St. James's Episcopal Church in Richmond, St. John the Baptist in Portland, Ore., and Christ & Holy Trinity in Westport, CT, Whitney Zimmerman Edwards '94, returns home as St. Christopher’s Upper School Chaplain and Religion Department Chair.
In the opening service for St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s faculty and staff, Rev. Whitney Zimmerman Edwards ’94, St. Christopher’s Upper School Chaplain and Religion Department Chair, spoke powerfully about finding Jesus in hard work and where you least expect Him. “You said he was out there and I could serve Him and it would prove my salvation in the seeking. And darn it if you weren’t right as you handed me that diploma which was a map inked in courage and full of enough with communion bread crumbs to lead me back home.”
Edwards experienced St. Catherine's first as a day student, then as a boarder following the loss of her father. After she graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1998 with majors in anthropology and religious studies, she served as a missionary in Asia and Central America. Edwards returned to Virginia to work as a prison chaplain in 2000, creating rehabilitation and post-release support courses for prisoners and eventually overseeing ministry to all of Virginia's jails, juvenile facilities and prisons.
Following her 2007 graduation from Yale Divinity School and her ordination, Edwards served as Associate Rector at St. James's Episcopal Church in Richmond. She grew the missions program to the largest of any in the US, with annual mission trips around the globe. She chaired WomanKind, a large international women's spirituality conference. In 2011, Edwards was called to be Associate Rector at St. John the Baptist in Portland, Oregon, where she made the Newcomer, Family Ministry and Welcome programs so successful that attendance at Sunday family services tripled in a year. Subsequently she served as Rector of Christ & Holy Trinity in Westport, CT, before joining the staff at St. Christopher’s.
Edwards is married to Chris Edwards, a choral conductor and accomplished musician. They have two daughters, Emmeline (currently in JK) and Georgia (born 2014).
Edwards is married to Chris Edwards, a choral conductor and accomplished musician. They have two daughters, Emmeline (currently in JK) and Georgia (born 2014).
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
