Join us in welcoming The Reverend Mary Barnett (pictured left) and the Reverend Mary Anne Osborn (pictured right) to the Church of the Holy Trinity. They begin their ministry with us at the Sunday service on October 6, 2019.

It may come as a surprise that we are actually welcoming two new clergy, one half-time and the other quarter-time. This is a good thing, but it requires a bit of explanation.

The Episcopal Church in Connecticut (ECCT) has conceived a new model in which newly-ordained clergy going into part-time positions are paired with experienced mentors for their first year, and we have been selected to participate in this new initiative. As a result, for the next year, we will have two new clergy: one (Mary Barnett) who is new to the ministry and will hopefully serve with us for years to come, the other (Mary Anne Osborn) an experienced priest who will be with us for one year and serve as a mentor to Mary Barnett as she begins her ministry.

The Reverend Mary Barnett completed her seminary training this past year at Yale Divinity School, after a career running her own dance company, In Good Company, since 1986. She was ordained a Deacon this past summer, and will be ordained to the priesthood early in 2020. (In the Episcopal Church, clergy are first ordained Deacons for at least six months before ordination to the priesthood.) Her initial official title will be “Missional Curate”. While she is still a deacon and not yet a priest, we will not be without a priest between now and her ordination. Mary Anne Osborn will serve at Holy Trinity with the title “Missional Priest in Charge” for a period of one year, and will be the sole parish priest until Mary Barnett is ordained a priest. She will be ecclesiastical authority in the parish for the year she is here, officiate at Eucharist, and help attend to pastoral needs, but much of her responsibility will be as a priest-mentor. After the first year, we hope that Mary Barnett will continue on with us with the new title of Missional Priest-in-Charge.

Rev. Osborne will be with us two Sundays per month, as her position is quarter-time. This means that, until Rev. Barnett is ordained to the priesthood early in 2020, we will alternate services between Eucharist and Morning Prayer on Sunday mornings, with a single service at 9:30. When Rev. Osborne is present, she will celebrate the Eucharist. When she is not, Rev. Barnett will lead Morning Prayer.

We welcome these two wonderful clergy persons to our parish. They bring us a wealth of experience of many different types, and they are enthusiastic about joining Holy Trinity as well.

We would also like to say a word of profound thanks to a number of people who have helped to make this transition process a success: the Transition Team that began the search process, the Vestry that completed it, the Intercessory Prayer Group that has supported us with their prayers, and to the entire congregation for their faithfulness, patience, and prayers as we have carried out a rather long transition process with grace, patience, hope, and good will. I would also like to thank the Reverend Lee Ann Tolzmann, the diocesan Canon for Mission Leadership, and the Reverend Joseph Krasinski, who served as consultant in the process. This was a two-year effort that required a lot of time, work, and thoughtful discernment from a lot of people, and prayer from everyone, and we should thank everyone involved for a job well done.

We would also like to offer the most heartfelt thanks to the Reverend Dana Campbell, who has served as our interim priest in charge for five and a half years. Deepest thanks also to Deacon Pat Jackson, who has tirelessly and joyously looked after many of the pastoral needs of our congregation, and who – thankfully – will be able to stay on with us for up to another six months.

–  Steven Horst, Warden
–  edits by TCW, Warden