Rev. Rose Sapp-Bax, Deacon
Rose first attended St. Francis as a parishioner when her three children were still quite young. They attended Sunday School, while she served as lector during services and then later as a Eucharistic Minister. As the children grew up and began lives of their own, Rose stayed active and busy in the church.
Rose found herself at a crossroad when her husband was diagnosed with early onset of dementia. It was a devastating blow. She cared for him at home, but as his condition deteriorated, nursing home care became necessary. Rose was lost and searching for answers to explain what and why this was happening. She turned to the church and began attending a Sunday evening healing service. While she didn’t find the answers to all her questions, she found God, who walked with her through it all.
When her husband died several years later, she was searching again. She prayed, “Okay, God, now what?” It was the beginning of her call to the diaconate. So Rose moved to Orlando less than six months after her husband’s death and began a new path – one she knew God was calling for her to walk. It was difficult, but she knew it was the right one. Three years later, she was ordained at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, where she remained to serve.
While in Orlando, she served as director of the Glennon House, a healing ministry at All Saints Church. Later, the healing ministry became self-sufficient and was relocated to downtown Orlando. During this time, she had reconnected with Tim, an old friend from St. Francis, and the couple were married at the cathedral in 2019.
Then COVID hit, and everything changed. Rose began working at a residential facility for women who were escaping human trafficking. It was the hardest job she every had but loved her work. Still, God had more plans for Rose.
She and Tim were missing Lake Placid, Fla., so they moved back and returned to St. Francis of Assisi. Recently, Deacon Rose has felt called back to prayer ministry and participates in the church’s ‘Called to Bless’ group. Both she and her husband recently visited the Ffald y Brenen Retreat Center in Wales, which provided even more inspiration on how to move this blessing ministry forward. She believes God is calling her and St. Francis to bring this prayer ministry to others.