The Episcopal Church of St. Paul's first woman rector and pastor, and the parish's first openly gay spiritual leader, is leaving the parish to figure out "where God might be calling me next," she said.
In her more than eight years at St. Paul's, the Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Kaeton brought "challenging" sermons and a new perspective to the Main Street church.
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Kaeton, a long-time activist in the Episcopal Church who worked with New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay, noncelibate Episcopal bishop, to have his consecration approved amid controversy in 2003, said she sensed it was time to move on.
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"I think you know when it's time," she said. "You can't take them any further than you have already taken them. And when you can't go any further, it's time to go."
She said she will consider how she can best do the work of the Gospel in communities, and hopes St. Paul's members know she loves them. Kaeton officially resigns as rector on Sept. 1, 2011, and is taking a sabbatical leave until then.
From the website of The Episcopal Church of St. Paul:
Rev'd Elizabeth is on Sabbatical leave. While she is away, the leadership of the church is under the care of the Wardens and Bishop. Rev'd Elizabeth will be doing post-doctoral work as Proctor Fellow at The Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA, during the Spring Semester, 2011. In the interim, she will be busy renovating her home on Rehoboth Bay in DE, spending time with her brother who has early-onset Alzheimer's Disease, assisting at All Saint's, Rehoboth Beach and St. George's Chapel, Harbeson, considering early retirement, and discerning how she can best use her skills and talents, to the honor and glory of God, to pursue her vocation as a Servant Leader of the mission of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She will officially leave St. Paul's on September 1, 2011
Dear Elizabeth, I offer my prayers, blessing, and best wishes to you and Ms Conroy as you set out on the next phase of your lives together. With the people at St. Paul, I say, "Well done!"
Thanks to Ann for the link.
Prayers for Elizabeth and Ms Conroy from me too.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention the article certainly brought the anti-homosexuality trolls out in the comments section! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
ReplyDelete(My word verification, BTW, is "bibli"...)
Kirke, I'm so sorry to hear that. I didn't check the comments to the article.
ReplyDeleteLately, I've been getting rather pertinent WV, too.
"You can't take them any further than you have already taken them. And when you can't go any further, it's time to go."
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know what Elizabeth meant by this (though she probably can't be more specific than this, in public anyway).
There is a parish in the Dio of NJ which could use her and would probably be a happier place as they are radically different from Chatham. But she needs a rest before taking on the challenges of school again. I hope she doesn't retire. Too many needy places, too few priests like Elizabeth to help them serve.
ReplyDeleteJCF, I'm not sure what Elizabeth means either. She would have to be the one to say.
ReplyDeletePiskie, there are many places where Elizabeth could serve well, but then there's the matter of burnout, too. Whether that's a factor in Elizabeth's case, I don't know. Perhaps after a break, she'll feel rested and will reconsider. Whatever she decides, I wish her well.
I felt the same way when I left my beloved former congregation. I had done what needed to be done but could not lead the congregation to the next step of envisioning new ministries (I had facilitated with much angst the letting-go of a ministry that had long outrun its course). A wise leader, I think, knows when it is time to step down. So I do understand Elizabeth's words from that point of view.
ReplyDeleteAs our former bishop said when she announced her retirement, 'I have taken you to the promised land but I cannot go there with you.'
My goodness. This is something of a shock.
ReplyDeleteSincere prayers for Elizabeth and all concerned.
Caminante, thanks for a view from the inside.
ReplyDeleteEllie, I was quite surprised, too.