Grace and peace. On Monday, you received a letter from the Day School Board Chair Mia Bass and me announcing the appointment of Jalene Spain Thomas as the next Head of School for the Day School. Over the past 9 months, I have spent a considerable amount of my time working with the search committee to find the right person for St. Patrick’s. I am overjoyed that we were able to find an extraordinary educator and administrator with deep ties with Episcopal schools. I am confident that Jalene will be the right leader for the next chapter of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School. If you missed the announcement, please read the letter sent on Monday to learn more about Jalene.
I also ask your prayers for our partners in Haiti. The community of St. Etienne, our partners since 1979, are safe and experienced little damage from the earthquake, but are fearful of the incoming storms. Pere Medela, the priest at St. Etienne, wrote to ask our prayers for his family who are from the southern part of Haiti. His parents lost the walls of their home. If you have been following the news, over 1900 people have died and nearly 10,000 were injured by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake this past weekend. The country is spinning between political unrest, societal insecurities, a pandemic without adequate health care, and now an earthquake during hurricane season. There are many worthy ways to support those in need on the ground in Haiti including Episcopal Relief and Development. Even though St. Etienne was not impacted by the earthquake, they still have many needs. 100% of the money donated to St. Patricks’ for Haiti goes to Haiti to support the lives of our partners.
We are also grieving the events happening in Afghanistan. If you remember, we actively supported No One Left Behind, a non-profit focused on helping Afghani interpreters immigrate to the United States, as part of our rummage sale and outreach efforts a few years ago. No One Left Behind and many other organizations are doing extraordinary work helping asylum seekers who are fleeing the Taliban get resettled someplace safe.
We keep all people fleeing for their safety in Afghanistan, Haiti, and anywhere else in the world in our prayers.
Blessings,
kurt@stpatrickschurchdc.org
703-522-2726
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