The Rev. Gia Hayes - Martin
Rector
She/Her/Hers
The Rev. Gia Hayes-Martin became the thirty-seventh rector of St. John’s in April 2020. Gia grew up in Cleveland, and her years in Tennessee and California confirmed that her heart will always be in Ohio. Raised a Roman Catholic, she founded the Episcopal Church as a young adult while she was completing a PhD in history. Gia is a graduate of Xavier University (Go Muskies!), Vanderbilt University, and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She was ordained in 2010. Before her call to St. John’s, Gia served as rector of St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in Menlo Park, California, and as associate rector of the Episcopal Church of St. Matthew in San Mateo, California. As a priest, Gia’s particular interests lie in forming disciples of Jesus, preaching, and leadership in a changing church. She has served the wider church in a variety of ways: as a deputy to the General Convention, chair of the Nominating Committee for the Tenth Bishop of Southern Ohio, reader for the prayer podcast A Morning at the Office, member of the Episcopal Church’s Task Force on Theology of Money and Task Force on the Study of Marriage, and on the conference planning teams for Gathering the NeXt Generation and Young Clergy Women International.
Gia is a voracious reader, knitting addict, novice gluten-free baker, foodie, and traveler. She met her husband, Melville, in Iona Abbey while on a trip to his native Scotland. They live in Clintonville, where an energetic, friendly gray tabby lets them stay in her house.
What is a rector? Rector is the Episcopal Church’s word for the senior or lead pastor (spiritual leader) of a parish (local church community). As rector, Gia oversees the worship and spiritual life of St. John’s, works with the vestry (governing board) to set and live out the parish’s mission, directs the day-to-day operations of the parish in collaboration with the staff, and serves as our principal pastor, priest, and teacher.
How should I address Gia? There is no standard form of address for women priests. (Episcopalians have had them since 1974. You’d think we’d have figured this out by now. We haven’t.) Gia prefers to be called by her first name, which is pronounced JEE-uh; it’s short for Gianetta. If you wish to be more formal, call her Reverend Gia.
Contact Gia about: questions about faith, spirituality, prayer, worship, the Bible, the Episcopal Church; membership at St. John’s; baptisms, weddings, and funerals.
You should ask Gia: How does a girl without a drop of Italian heritage get such a florid Italian name?