Our leaders
Below you will find a listing of our official leaders (click on links to learn more about them). But our leadership is far more than any such list can contain. Most people in the parish find a particular ministry that delights their heart and serves the people of God either inside and outside the parish. Because the Rector (Episcopal-speak for "pastor") is half-time and the organist/choirmaster is part-time, all work together to manage the affairs of the congregation as part of a "Total Ministry" team. The parish is less clergy-centered than most.
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Dr. Rainer Schochat, Warden. Rainer is Professor of
Mathematics at Triton College and has held leadership roles in
several Episcopal Parishes. A native of Ulm, Germany, he holds a
Ph.D. from
Northwestern University. Rainer is also an expert carpenter,
a gourmet cook and an oenophile. His wine cellar contains some
800 bottle. |
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| Ms. Donna Watson, Warden. Donna is a retired social worker with a long history of supporting people with developmental disabilities. With her daughter Jessica doing the work, she’s opened a second pet grooming shop in Woodridge. Donna is an active participant in St. Helena's ministry to Briar Place, a nearby nursing and rehabilitation center and is a mainstay of the choir. |
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The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee, Bishop of Chicago.
Lee was consecrated the 12th Bishop of Chicago in February 2008
He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Nashotah
House Seminary, and was ordained priest in the Diocese of
Northern Indiana in 1985. After serving there as canon to the
ordinary there, he served as rector in Wisconsin and Washington.
Lee is the author of
Opening the Prayer Book in the New Church's Teaching
Series. |
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| The Rev. Dr. Robert O. Wyatt, Rector. Bob became rector in 2006. He was ordained priest in 2004 after 31 years teaching English and communication, principally at Middle Tennessee State University, where he was director of a survey research center. He also worked as an editor for the Nashville Tennessean. He holds a Ph.D. in English from Northwestern, a B.A. in English from the Sewanee: The University of the South, an M.S. in communication from the University of Tennessee, and an M.T.S. from Vanderbilt Divinity School. His wife, Terri Lackey, is an editor for the women's magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. |
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The Rev. Lynn Ramshaw, Priest Associate.
Ramshaw is an accomplished spiritual director and
retreat leader. She is former Canon for Pastoral Care at Trinity
Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio, and former Associate Rector at the
Church of St. John the Evangelist in Flossmoor. A clinical
social worker, she ran shelters for the homeless in Florida for
many years. She holds a master's degree in spiritual direction
from General Theological Seminary in New York. She has two sons,
both surgeons, and a daughter, a teacher. |
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Ms. Daryce Hoff Nolan, Pastoral Associate.
Daryce is a music teacher at Morgan Park Academy and a part-time
chaplain at South Suburban Hospital. A longtime Episcopalian,
she aspires to be ordained a Deacon (a servant ministry that
interprets the needs of the world to the Church). She holds a
master's in music form the
Chicago College of Performing Arts at
Roosevelt University and a bachelor's from
Trinity Christian College.
She and husband Bob, a lawyer, have a son in college. |
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Mr.
James Morehead, Organist and Choirmaster. Jimmy is
a superb and lively musician as much at home with gospel or
blues as Bach or Anglican Chant. He is adjunct professor at the
Chicago College of Performing Arts at
Roosevelt University and music director of
Vox3. He holds a master's from Roosevelt and a bachelor's
from
Duquesne
University. |
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Leadership in Episcopal parishes is shared by the Rector and the Wardens and Vestry (usually lay people). The Rector is in charge of spiritual matters while the Vestry controls finances and property. The arrangement is similar to the separation of church and state enshrined in our constitution. Each parish is part of a larger unit called a diocese and headed by a Bishop (Episcopal comes from the Greek word for bishop).
Sounds dull, huh? But our leaders, nationally as well as locally, are anything but dull.
For example, one couple feels called to garden on our beautiful campus; another parishioner delights in collecting food for the poor; another works on the pastoral-care team visiting shut-ins; others prepare the weekly bulletin or monthly newsletter; a group takes care of the building; another group provides an art class at a local nursing home. Thus, we consider ourselves a Total Ministry parish , where each member has a unique calling from God that delights his or her soul while meeting the world's deepest need, as spiritual author Frederick Buechner observes.
Total Ministry is more than a way to get things done; it is a way to listen to God and discover the desires in our hearts.
The Rector is in charge of the spiritual, pastoral, and worship life of a parish, while the wardens are responsible for finances, building, and grounds. In practice, the Wardens (principal lay leaders), Vestry (parish board), and Rector (pastor) work collaboratively.
Note: Most of our obscure and sometimes colorful titles and terms are British in origin. Enjoy them; don't be put off when you hear someone referred to as the Canon to the Ordinary (COO of the Diocese) or the Archdeacon (head of the deacons, who are ordained ministers engaged in servant ministry).
