Dear Friends,
I cannot believe that Labor Day is here! Although, for some, Labor Day is melancholy and marks the end of the summer season and the shortening of days, nevertheless, for us at Saint Thomas, it also marks the beginning of a new school year and the return of our choristers. Sunday, September 12 will see the full Choir of Men and Boys sing together for the first time since Thursday, March 12, 2020. It is incredible to think that the Choir did not sing together for Holy Week for two whole years. This will be a very joyful day in spite of the fact that we still have to wear masks.
Dr. Filsell has decided that we should mark the admission of new Head and Deputy-Head Choristers liturgically and we will admit them on that Sunday morning. I am looking for a parishioner who would like to help us commission two medals for the Head Choristers to wear in Church over their surplices. If you are interested in underwriting this little project, please let me or Dr. Filsell know. In the meantime, we will give them stock RSCM medals.
One of the pillars of our strategic plan is sorting out the finances of our parish once and for all, including making plans for a sustainable future for the parish and the school. It also includes organizational change to ensure that our vision and mission are properly supported. There have been a number of changes to staffing, responsibilities, and departments over the past few months and there are more to come, but I want to share three important ones with you.
First, we are delighted to welcome Christopher Seeley and his family to be part of our community. Chris comes to us with an impressive track record as an educator within the Episcopal Schools tradition. We are blessed to have him among us and we look forward to getting to know Chris and Staci, and their children, Camille and Crawford, in the coming months. I hope it will not be too long before we can have a parish social event to welcome them properly.
One important element of reviewing the way the parish and school is organized has been the discussion over administration and finance. After many months of discussion and review, the Standing Committee, the Personnel Committee, and the Finance Task Force have agreed that we will separate out the two areas of administration and finance. Citrin-Cooperman will continue to lead the finance department fulfilling the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO, Jenny Herrera) and Financial Controller (Laura Bush). Assisted by two staff accountants, this arrangement has already served us well and will do so in the future.
Fr. Moretz has been Acting Director of Administration for some time now and has proven himself an able leader as well as a team-player. His role is now being consolidated with a renewed job description and, in recognition of his seniority now in the organization, he will have the title Vicar and Chief Operating Officer (COO). As we begin a major fund-raising initiative that will demand even more of my time, I will rely on Fr. Moretz to help me and the Vestry lead the parish forward in implementing our mission as laid out in our strategic plan.
Finally, as many of you know, Mother Turner has been acting as School Chaplain since Fr. Wallace left us and this has been invaluable during the pandemic with all its stresses and strains on the Choir School Community. Mr. Seeley has invited her to take on the role of School Chaplain formally, something that also plays to her strengths as a life-long educator.
Since the fall of 2020, a task force has been working on a Constitution and By-laws for the Choir School – the group included the Acting Head of School, a Warden, a former Warden and lawyer, a current parent and lawyer, and myself. Ann Mellow, the Associate Director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) was our external advisor. Over three meetings, the Vestry considered the new by-laws which meant delegating real authority to a new Board of Trustees. Again, as one of the pillars of our strategic plan, this piece of work supports our school into the future and provides for a truly independent and robust form of governance. The first class of members of the new Board have been invited and the new Trustee Committee is currently considering future members. We are delighted that The Rev. Dr. Daniel Heischman, Executive Director of NAES, has accepted the invitation of the Vestry to become the inaugural Chair of the Board.
All of these things, and more, will be discussed at our next parish meeting as part of an update on the strategic plan. We will be holding this via a zoom webinar on Thursday, September 30, at 7pm. Members of the Vestry, clergy, and staff will give short presentations on various aspects of the strategic plan, including the current state of our finances. You will be able to meet the Citrin-Cooperman team, Mr. Seeley will give us his vision for the future of the Choir School, and there will be a chance to submit questions.
Well! What a lot to talk about! One final bit of news: Our Parish Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, with the Living Church Foundation and the Bishop of Tennessee, has been postponed twice now because of the pandemic. A number of you still have airline tickets and we are pleased to tell you that United Airlines has extended their validity to the end of 2022. We are currently exploring traveling to the Holy Land in Easter Week 2022 – probably leaving on Tuesday, April 19 and returning Friday, April 29. As more details become available we will keep you informed.
Affectionately,
Your pastor and priest,
Carl
