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By David Ball

Special to The News

PORT NECHES – Southeast Texas, meet Rev. Rohani.

The Reverend Rohani Weger is the new rector, or pastor, of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Port Neches. The church went two years without a fulltime pastor.

Weger was born in Indonesia and Rohani means spiritual in the language. Perhaps her parents had a heads-up their child would grow up to be a priest.

“I grew up in Indonesia. My father was a linguist,” Weger said. “My parents were Methodist missionaries. I attended Wheaton College and I worked on Mercy Ships.

Weger later met her husband while living in Chicago. He now works for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality where he’s been the past 21 years. They later moved to Washington, D.C. and Florida. They have since moved to Austin 15 years ago after hurricanes hit their Miami home.

Weger said she and her husband visited several churches after they married and fell in love with the Episcopalian liturgy.

She served as a lay leader in her congregation where she felt God calling her to the priesthood. She attended The Seminary of the Southwest in Austin. She was attracted to the school because they have a Spanish language track.  In addition to speaking Spanish and English Weger is also fluent in Indonesian, French, German and a little Dutch.

“I enjoy learning new cultures. My hobbies are gardening reading and traveling,” she said.

After graduation and ordination she ministered as an interim priest at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Bellville and St. James Episcopal Church in LaGrange. She also served as a substitute rector at a Spanish speaking church.

“I’ve heard about the Port Neches church needing a rector, so I applied,” Weger said. “The Anastasis (her Mercy Ship) stopped in Beaumont 30 years ago and I remember the area.” she said.

Since Weger arrived at Holy Trinity about a month ago average attendance has risen to 55 in the pews as opposed to just a few previously attending. As with other churches, Holy Trinity is trying to bounce back in the aftermath of covid.

“Now we can serve communion all of the time,” she explained as a priest must officiate communion services. “I’m enjoying meeting new people and learning about the community outreach. We serve at The Hospitality Center in Port Arthur once a month and we’ll be doing a food drive at Community Care-Prayer Outreach in Nederland. We’ll start an Advent program on Wednesday night. We’ll have a Christmas pick-me-up living nativity scene with no rehearsals.”

Weger said she wants to be creative and bring energy to her new job.

“I feel really welcomed here,” she said. “I really like to preach on the world of the gospels and how the people were like and what they struggled with. You can tell a lot of stories.”

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church has an 8:15 a.m. Sunday service with no music and a 10:30 a.m. Sunday service with music. They also have an online service on their Facebook page. In fact. this Sunday will be All Saints Sunday.

“Everyone is welcomed here.” Weger said.