Priest Associates

Dear Friends of Saints James and Andrew,

I am delighted to introduce two familiar faces, who will be serving our community in new ways. Effective March 1, the Rev. Ted Thornton and the Rev. Dr. Molly Scherm will be serving Saints James and Andrew as Priest Associates. 

What is a Priest Associate? 
These are clergy who serve in the ministry of the parish at the discretion of the Rector in a non-stipendiary role. They donate their time and talent, as their life and interests allow, to support parish life by sharing their unique gifts. The Rector will typically ask these priests to serve as supply in her absence, and to support special liturgies or educational opportunities. 

In the instance of the Rev. Ted Thornton, this new title acknowledges an important ministry that already exists. Rev. Ted administers communion on the second Sunday of the month, to allow me to offer healing prayers. He has offered supply at Sunday worship and a funeral for a longtime member in my absence. He shares his particular gift of teaching through one or two teaching sermons each year, and in a gathering this fall he offered an opportunity for the parish to further understand the unfolding events in the Middle East. 

In the instance of the Rev. Dr. Molly Scherm, this new title acknowledges a new chapter in her role with our parish. After serving as our Associate Rector (a one third time, paid position), Rev. Molly retired from that role to serve in an even more part time role at St. Mary’s in the Mountains in Wilmington, Vermont. She will continue to serve as their Priest-in-Charge until such time she may choose to retire or serve another community. Rev. Molly serving as Priest Associate means that we are her home parish, the community she worships with when she is not serving elsewhere. You may recall we had an intentional period of separation, to help all of us acclimate to this shift in clergy leadership. We will now begin to see Rev. Molly for some special worship services, such as Holy Tuesday, for occasional Sunday supply in my absence (in May), and with time she may offer her teaching gifts with our parish in ways we will discern in the months to come. She has remained the compensated facilitator of the Caregiver Support Group, and she will continue in this role. 

While both of these priests might be occasionally able to aid in a pastoral emergency, they are not part of the regular pastoral care ministry. Should you have a pastoral concern, please contact Kathryn Aubry-McAvoy, our Pastoral Care Chair, or myself. 

Our new Priest Associates serve as an act of love for this community, and as a way of living into their ordained ministry during this chapter of their lives. We are blessed by their experience, wisdom, and unique gifts for teaching. They love this community, and I know we love them. I hope you will give them a warm welcome as you see them in these new roles. 

If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to be in touch. 

Peace,
Rev. Heather Blais,
Rector