About Mother Shelley

The Reverend Shelley D. McDade was born and raised in Claymont, Delaware, as a member of the Atonement United Methodist Church. She earned her B.A. degree in Radio/Television and Marketing at Ashland College in Ashland, Ohio, in 1983 and spent the next 24 years working in the marketing and advertising fields while living throughout the United States and the Pacific. In 1996, Mother Shelley moved to New York to continue her career but also found herself growing more spiritually in the richness of all God has to offer in this amazing city. She found a special call to worship in the Episcopal Church and after serving for several years in homeless outreach and other lay and healing ministries, she entered the process for ordination in the Diocese of New York. Mother Shelley earned her Master of Divinity in 2010 from The General Theological Seminary here in Chelsea. She serves as a member of the Eastern Orthodox Committee through the Ecumenical Commission of the Diocese and will continue in her call to serve the city of New York through her work on Ascension Outreach as Executive Director. Mother Shelley has three sisters and extended family and friends who reside (mostly) on the East Coast.