2021-22 Day School Chaplaincy Report

It has been a good year in the chaplaincy at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School. As I move through my third year at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church and Day School, I would like to begin by saying, “Thank you,” to the Senior Warden, Head of School, the Vestry, Board of Trustees, and the Parish and Day School communities. The love, hospitality and support that Devon and I have been shown since we began this journey in the midst of the pandemic has meant more to us than we can actually say. From the welcome we first received through the last three years, both Devon and I have been so grateful for the generosity and kindness you have all shown.

My duties at the Day School broadly consist of three areas: worship, teaching, and pastoral care in wider community life. I also serve on the administration of the school. It has been a joy to continue serving at St. Patrick’s this year, and I am looking forward to what this next year brings.

Worship

I lead four division chapels each week, as well as whole school chapels for special festivals and occasions. My work with chapel involves planning liturgies, preaching, coordinating speakers, and working with faculty, staff, and students across the school, especially our profoundly talented Music and Religion Departments. A huge thank you goes to Laura Petersen, Betsy Sebring, Alicia Knox, Kankunda Klingenberg, and The Rev. Amy Yount for everything they have done to support me this year. As we have returned to in-person worship, we have managed to build connections, bring people together, and offer a worship program which has enabled us to explore our annual chapel theme of “New Beginnings, Strong Foundations” in fruitful ways. It has been a wonderful journey: from broader weekly themes reflecting on, for example, community and thanksgiving; to specific themes such as Pride Month, Emancipation Day, Hispanic Heritage, and American Asian and Pacific Islander Month Chapels; to Rosh Hashanah, Eid ul-Fitr, the legendary Christmas Pageant, Epiphany Chapels, and other festivals and celebrations throughout the year.

Teaching

I have had the privilege of teaching Religion to Grades 6, 7 and 8, while Kankunda Klingenberg teaches Kindergarten through Grade 5. Kankunda should be particularly congratulated for bringing back Gifts for Good in Grade 5 this year—a vital service-learning project where students organize a community gathering to raise awareness and funds for local and wider charities that they research and develop connections with. Kankunda and I have also been exploring new curriculum materials for the Religion department, as we have planned and taught classes throughout the year. Although this year has been very much an “experiment” given the change in teaching formats as we have emerged from the pandemic, Kankunda and I have worked closely together to ensure that we are constantly trying out new ideas and looking ahead to how we might develop the Religion curriculum further.

Pastoral Care and Community Life

Pastoral care involves “connecting the dots,” and seeking to make worship, spirituality, and Episcopal identity something which is accessible and helpful to, and equally informed by, the needs and interests of the whole school community. In this area, I have launched three specific initiatives.

First are the Faith Forums: weekly gatherings for parents to meet informally and discuss faith-related aspects of school life. Each week, after one of our division chapels there is an opportunity for parents and families to gather over coffee in the Great Hall. Faculty and staff also had their first opportunity to engage in such discussions during Teaching and Learning Center sessions on the February professional day. Here, I offered training on Episcopal identity, religious education pedagogy, worship design, and approaches to interfaith dialogue.

Secondly, a great deal of this work has been born out of my doctoral research on the theology of school chaplaincy. Since October 2021, I have been working on my PhD dissertation with the University of Aberdeen in the UK, where my thesis focuses on how school chaplains articulate a Christian vocation whilst being attentive to the needs of all faiths and none. This research has already enabled me to develop new teaching and worship-based resources for the Day School, and I am looking forward to further integrating my research into school programming in the coming year.

Third, I have been offering opportunities for prayer and reflection throughout the school day during the season of Lent. Each week, I provide additional meditative prayer services and a weekly Eucharist in the All Saints Chapel, as well as resources for those who wish to engage with the Lenten season. If this program works well, I may consider developing a similar pattern of services after Easter.

Overall, it has been a good year. In so many respects, it has been something of an experiment, and very much a constant learning curve. However, more than anything else, it has been an incredible opportunity for which I am deeply grateful, to serve our young people, to collaborate with friends and colleagues, and to become more fully part of a new community which is very special indeed. Both Devon and I are very much looking forward to the next year, and we cannot thank this community enough for all you have shared with us already.

With every blessing for the spring and the year ahead,

Fr. Ed