Tell us a little bit about yourself, and what you'd like more community members at CHRIT to know about you.
I have been a member of Holy Trinity since 2005. Over that time I have participated in many ways, as reader, Morning Prayer leader (both live and online), member of the Vestry several times, and member of the Flower Guild and the Outreach and Property committees. I have served in our programs to feed our neighbors in need since its earliest days under Sunday Love and now as our own Open Hearts Café. I am an historian by profession and taught history at Villanova University for a number of years. I enjoy being part of an institution with a long and rich connection to the history of Philadelphia. As I learned how our beautiful church sanctuary evolved through the successive actions of generations that came before us, I realized that I could try to make my own contribution.
What first brought you to the Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse? What is the reason you've stayed?
I was preparing to move into Center City after several decades of living in the Philadelphia suburbs. One of my favorite places to visit was Rittenhouse Square, partly because of its beauty and partly because it seemed that the entire city came together there. So as I looked for a new church home Holy Trinity seemed to be the logical place to begin. But as soon as I walked through the doors and felt warmly welcomed I knew this was the place for me. Like every human organization, Holy Trinity has had ups and downs, but I have always felt that it was the right place for me to invest my energies.
What is your favorite way to participate in our CHRIT community?
That’s a hard one to answer because each activity enables me to develop different parts of myself, in fact I have often been challenged to do things I didn’t think I could. Serving meals at Open Hearts Café has enabled me to understand something about people who have different life experiences from me and to appreciate our common humanity. Similarly, I don’t consider myself to be particularly creative, but when I was pressed into service on the Flower Guild I found that I really enjoyed doing arrangements.
What's one of your hidden talents?
I learned to knit as a child but have really taken it up in earnest in recent years. After a visit to Shetland (an island chain north of Scotland) I became fascinated with its traditional colorwork patterns and have made sweaters and hats in a number of patterns. I find that knitting is a form of meditation for me and like to be always working on something. As the weather gets colder I make hats that I donate to the Open Hearts Clothing Closet.
What's a regular practice or habit you have that helps you stay grounded?
I was not raised in the Episcopal Church but was attracted to it as an adult by the beauty of its liturgy and the profound experience of God that I encountered in the Eucharist. I have found that regular attendance at services on Sundays helps restore me for the challenges of life. It truly does send me out into the world to do the work I have been given to do.
