Leadership Transition Announcement 2019

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It is with great pleasure that we announce that the Reverend Daniel Simons will be our Provisional Priest-in-charge starting January 31, 2020.

From Daniel, in his own words:

I am so grateful for this call to join you in ministry at St. Paul’s on the Green. I love that the doors of this church are open -quite literally- and that your openness extends to so many other dimensions of welcome. I have felt the warmth of your hearts already, and I’m excited to discern together how God is calling us more deeply into that abundance of diversity and communion.

I am joined by my husband of 12 years, Javier Galitó-Cava, who founded and directs a school for actors (www.meisner.es). Together we love cross-cultural travel, outdoor pursuits, the arts, and the simple life. Javier is eager to meet you all, and we look forward to making our home among you.I come to you following a diverse thread of ministry through the church. I began my ordained path first in cathedral ministry, then through seven years of monastic formation (www.ssje.org), followed by several years serving a church at the forefront of the liturgical and inclusion movements of the Episcopal Church (www.saintgregorys.org). I have served this past decade at Trinity Church, Wall Street, developing its liturgical life and hospitality ministries, and most recently rebuilding its retreat center in northwest Connecticut. Through all these chapters Pilgrimage has been a central thread of my ministry, and I love introducing people to this embodied way of prayer. I am also committed to daily awareness meditation as a core spiritual practice.

We live in uncertain times, but my enthusiasm only grows for what this can mean for our community life and our sense of mission. We are hearing a fresh call in our time to become more deeply conscious of God in our midst and in all things, and to live more boldly from that moment-to-moment awareness. I look forward to grounding our faith together in this moment of God’s goodness, and to becoming pilgrims on the way, living forward into what God is calling us to be and do in the world in our time.


Next Steps

Daniel’s starting date is January 31, and his first Sunday with us will be February 2.

We are now entering the next phase of our transition process.  We will have a diocesan consultant appointed to work with Daniel, the vestry and staff during the PPIC period.  Part of this work will be holding a parish-wide event, the format to be determined, to discern where we are, where we need to be, and where we want to go.  This will allow for goal setting, with the objective of achieving those goals during the period that Daniel is our Provisional Priest-in-Charge.  At the end of the PPIC period, the vestry may decide, if Daniel is in agreement, that he could be called as the next rector of St. Paul’s.  However, there is much work to be done in the meantime!

On another note, this time of transition could not have gone as well as it has without the unbelievable work, which has gone well above and beyond the call of duty, of our dedicated staff.  They have ensured that we did not miss a beat, and even if we did, that it was not pronounced!  A profound thanks to Jake, Marsha, Steve, Don, and Ferbian.

Additionally, the vestry has worked tirelessly, especially through the last several months, as we have been interviewing, discerning, and taking care of the parish’s business.  If you see a member of the vestry, please thank them.

Most especially, we need to recognize Mother Louise, who has ensured that our liturgy and preaching continue to be excellent and that pastoral care is always available, and who continues to provide spiritual guidance for us all.

Your wardens,

Bob and Louise

November 20, 2019


Note: Fr. Daniel attended the Annual Meeting on January 11th, 2020, where the parish community welcomed him and Javier, and he offered remarks to those in attendance. At the same meeting, Bob and Louise completed their terms as wardens after many years of service, and we welcomed a new class of wardens and vestry.

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