LATE AGAIN, ALAS

Our new rector at St John's Episcopal Church, Fr Doug, will be serving two congregations, ours in Thibodaux, Louisiana, and Trinity Episcopal Church in Morgan City, Louisiana.  Since the two churches are around 30 miles apart, Fr Doug will not be presiding at Sunday services at both churches but will rather be present in each church every other Sunday.  On the Sundays when Fr Doug is not with us, we will have Morning Prayer with a lay member of the congregation leading the service.

In order to touch base with both church communities each weekend, Fr Doug will try out a 5:00 PM Eucharistic service on the Saturdays preceding the Sunday he will be serving at our sister church, an arrangement which I hope will work out for my own selfish reason, since I'm not a morning person, and I'm rather habitually late for the 10:30 morning service. 

Yesterday, I attended the first Saturday service, and you'd think I'd be able to arrive on time, right?  Ah, but you'd be wrong.  Since I returned from New York City last Wednesday evening, I was so happy to be home, that I had not left the house until I was ready to go to church yesterday.  Before I left for my trip, I removed my set of keys from my purse, because it is rather heavy, and I forgot to put the keys back in place.  After I reached my car, I realized I had no key to get in the car, nor did I have a key to get back in the house.

Where is Grandpère when I need him?  Gone fishing, so I had to find the extra set of keys to the house in the secret hiding place, which involved getting on my knees in damp mulch and fishing around till I found them, with the result that I was late to the first Saturday Eucharist and retained my reputation for tardiness, alas.  Better next time?  I hope so.

NEW RECTOR FOR ST. JOHN'S AND TRINITY

At the Palm Sunday service at Trinity this Sunday morning, the senior wardens of St. John's and Trinity announced that Fr. Doug Lasiter has accepted our call to be the next rector for St. John's and Trinity.

Fr. Doug has been serving as the rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Miles City, Montana, and Ascension Episcopal Church in Forsyth, Montana, so he has experience working with two congregations at the same time. Fr. Doug and his wife Robi and their teenage son and daughter are excited about moving to Louisiana and becoming part of our church communities. Robi and the children have been residing in the Houston area so that their daughter, who is a highly accomplished gymnast, can have access to the appropriate facilities and training. The Lasiters are looking forward to once again being together as a family under the same roof, and Fr. Doug is very much elated about the prospect of thawing out from the long Montana winter he's been enduring.

Fr. Doug has indicated that his starting date will probably be June 15th.

Thanks be to God, and a warm welcome to Fr Doug and his family.