From the Rector
Dear Friends in Christ,
I am delighted to announce that we have called someone to serve as curate beginning, Thursday, August 1.
Put simply, a curate is an initial position for a priest who is broadly focused on learning a range of parish responsibilities and roles to prepare for further ministry. It is something like a residency for a doctor.
Before I go much further in this announcement, I want to thank Mtr Taylor and Mtr Mary.
With Fr Peter’s departure, both had to step up in new ways and take on new challenges. I think though, given how Christmas and Easter went, you’ll agree that they have done a fantastic job. I’m also grateful to our Pastoral Care Commission, Ken Hinkle, and our newly formed Adult Formation Commission for helping to carry the load that shifted when Peter left.
The person we have called to be our curate is named Matthew Reese. He is currently a deacon finishing his time at Yale Divinity School (as did Fr Mark, Fr Peter, and Mtr Kelli). He will be ordained a priest sometime this fall, most likely here at Saint Philip’s, but those details are still to be determined.
Matthew comes to us with much church experience already under his belt, primarily as a church musician. He holds a masters and doctorate in music from Oxford and has extensive teaching experience including at John’s Hopkins and Yale. You can see his full CV here. There is no doubt he has qualifications for such a position. However, those who met with him were most impressed by the ease of the conversations and his ability to meet people wherever they are in their faith life.
He also has familiarity with Tucson as his fiancé, Emma, is from here. His call came about when we had a chance to meet after Christmas Eve services when he was here with her.
Oftentimes, we will have to wait a year or more before a new person can really be effective. Given Matthew’s familiarity with liturgy in particular, he will be able to hit the ground running. His initial focus will be on the liturgical life of the parish with adult formation also being a long-term priority. RenewalWorks has revealed a hunger for deep formation and Matthew’s teaching background will be an asset in making that happen.
He is getting married on June 1 and has lots of plans for the summer (including a stay in Mexico City where he will practice his Spanish fluency). I hope you’ll get ready to welcome him and thank Mtr Taylor, Mtr Mary, and all those who have helped make this transition time work. No transition is without hiccups but I am so grateful to each of them and to Matthew for saying yes to the call here.
More will come soon and I hope you’ll check out his “In conversation…” interview!
—Fr Robert