Overview

 When children are baptized in the Episcopal Church, we pray that God will “give them an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works”  (Book of Common Prayer).

The religious goals and objectives for each child at Good Shepherd Episcopal School include:

The child’s careful exposure to appropriate stories from the Old and New Testaments and to the seasons of the church calendar.
The child’s experience of God’s presence in the peaceful setting of the church during worship.
The child’s experience of God’s love through daily interaction with caring and empathetic teachers in a secure and loving environment.

The Rev. Jonathan McManus Dail

I was raised in Eastern North Carolina and grew up as a part of the Original Free Will Baptist Church where my family and I were actively involved in church life and ministry. I felt called to ministry from a young age as I saw the great need of the world for God’s love and the loving home I had experienced at church. Ultimately, my calling to love more inclusively, question more deeply, and anchor in more ancient patters of prayer and worship led me into the Episcopal Church, where I have joyfully found a home and a calling.

I am a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke Divinity School. I also received a Certificate in Anglican Studies from the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest, which is what led my spouse, the Rev. Lizzie McManus-Dail, and I to Austin and the Diocese of Texas. Before joining the staff at Good Shepherd I served two years as a Chaplain at the Durham VA Medical Center and then have spent the last five years serving as Curate and then Associate Vicar at St. Julian of Norwich Episcopal Church in Round Rock where I discovered a love for ministry with young people and their families.

We now happily live here in Austin and love working in the Diocese of Texas. My wife, Lizzie, is also an Episcopal Priest and is the Vicar of Jubilee Episcopal Church in North Austin. Together, we are the proud parents of two adorable and spunky little girls.   In my free time I love to spend time with my family and friends, cook and eat good food, sing, and travel!

Program Highlight

Chapel and Birthday Blessings

Every Wednesday morning (Thursday morning for our 2- day students), teachers and students gather in the sanctuary to be reminded of how much God loves us all. Rev. Jonathan, our school Chaplain, helps us to quiet our minds and hearts so that we can share our love with God. Through stories and music, the children learn the ways in which God teaches us to be loving, kind and compassionate people.

The life of every child at GSES is special and to honor each life, we have a  birthday chapel service each month. Children who have had a birthday in the previous month come to the altar to receive a special blessing and everyone sings a special version of “Happy Birthday.”

Birthday Blessing

Watch over your children, O Lord, as their days increase. Bless and guide them wherever they may be. Keep them strong when they stand. Comfort them if they are sad. Pick them up if they fall.

And in their hearts, may your peace which passes all understanding abide with them all the days of their lives.

In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen