Jean Marie Marchant

Follow the powerful journey of Jean Marie Marchant as she overcomes profound personal tragedy and systemic boundaries to answer her lifelong call to the priesthood. Learn how her historic ordination led to the creation of The Spirit of Life, a global community redefining modern ministry.

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Jean Marie Marchant was a freshman in high school the year that Vatican II opened in Rome. In the classroom of her small parochial school in a suburb outside of Boston, Jean’s heart skipped a beat when she heard her teacher, a Sister of St. Joseph, pronounce: “This Council will change your life!”

Could the ‘change’ possibly mean that her dream since early childhood of serving as a priest might actually come true some day?

Like many children, regardless of gender, with a sense of a call to priesthood…., Jean ‘celebrated Mass’ in the dining room of her home, serving Vanilla wafers as communion. Coming from a blue-collar family, in the day when a girl wasn’t encouraged to attend college unless she planned to be a nurse or teacher, Jean married young and only began her undergrad education when her daughters were in school. As she prepared to head off to U Mass Boston, she read the book “Womanpriest” by Alla Bozarth Campbell, and her heart once again skipped a beat as she wondered if, like Alla’s story, her path too might lead to ordination.

On her first day of undergrad education, Jean was assigned a student advisor who was heading to Episcopal Divinity School and a faculty advisor with a Masters of Divinity Degree from Union Theological Seminary, and she knew she could now begin to give voice to her dream. 

Following her undergrad studies, Jean went on to attend Weston Jesuit School of Theology where she earned her Masters of Divinity Degree and later earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in Pastoral Counseling from the Graduate Theological Foundation.

Tragedy struck Jean’s life young as she experienced the deaths of two of her daughters as infants, and divorce from her first husband. However, her grief and the knowing learned from her deep losses ultimately formed the root of her ministry as chaplain in both hospice and hospital settings, and led her eventually into the chancery office as Director of Healthcare Ministry for the Archdiocese of Boston. 

Along her path of life, Jean had the gift of meeting Marist Father, Ron Hindelang, who became a compassionate and healing presence in her life. In time, their care for one another blossomed into love and marriage and a combined ministry which has taken shape in the creation of The Spirit of Life: A Catholic Community of Justice and Joy.

Jean’s many years of ministry to dying and grieving persons deepened her sense of call to priesthood, and when the door opened following the ordinations on the Danube, Jean could not but step through it. She and Marie David, were ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Patricia Fresen at Evensong Retreat Center in Harwichport, MA, on March 10, 2005. This was Patricia Fresen’s first ordination as bishop and the first RCWP ordination to take place in the United States. 

On July 25, 2005, the ordinations on the St. Lawrence Seaway took place, and because she was still ministering for the Archdiocese, Jean was ordained priest under the pseudonym, Jean Marie St. Onge (after her deceased great grandmother) along with Marie David, Victoria Rue, and Michelle Birch Connery.

On Nov. 19, 2006, a Mass of Thanksgiving to celebrate Jean’s ordination as a Roman Catholic Womanpriest was held with Jean’s husband Rev. Ronald Hindelang co-presiding. This liturgy was attended by 350 Catholics seeking renewal in the church. Many of the attendees spoke of their desire for “more of this”! They were expressing a spiritual hunger and need to be nourished by good liturgy, preaching and community life.

It had long been a dream for Jean and Ron to co-lead a faith community and to minister together as a married priest couple. The eagerness of those who attended the Liturgy of Thanksgiving prompted them to invite others to come and co-create a new community—a community of worship and service, where “justice and joy” were prominent themes.

Email invitations were sent far and wide, and on the first Sunday of Lent, February 2007, The Spirit of Life, A Catholic Community of Justice and Joy gathered for its first Eucharist. We were graciously welcomed to use the worship and gathering space of The Congregational Church of Weston/UCC. Since then, the community has met every Sunday to celebrate Eucharist together; and with the coming of Covid, the community now meets in hybrid form, with many gathering from around the globe to join those in the sanctuary via Zoom.

Each Sunday, Jean and Ron co-preside and co-preach and invite the community to share their thoughts and the movement of the Spirit in their lives as well. Jean and Ron are often invited to

officiate at the wedding of couples who are seeking a creative ceremony often under the cathedral of the sky” in a garden or along the shore. In these moments, the presence of both a male and a female officiant, and in particular, having a married couple witness their vows, brings a special level of intimacy to the couple who are marrying. At the heart of their co-ministry is Jean and Ron’s belief in the value of women and men ministering side-by-side, and their co-presiding is intended to model this for society in general, but most especially for the church.