2009 Commencement at St. Catherine's School, Richmond - blessings on all graduates!!

Ring-Candlelight Ceremony singing at St. Catherine's School, 2009

Ring-Candlelight Ceremony singing at the "arcade" at St. Catherine's School, Richmond, VA.

Snowy views of St. Catherine's School, Richmond, VA -- Beautiful!

Evensong at St. James's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia on Sunday, February 8th

Evensong at St. James's Episcopal Church featuring St. Catherine's School's Chorale and St. Christopher's School's Glee Club

Sunday, February 8

Evensong will be sung by the St. Catherine's School Chorale, directed by J.C. Stephenson III, and the St. Christopher's School Glee Club under the direction of Greg Vick, Director/Organist, at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 8.

The Reverend Peter Carey, Chaplain at St. Catherine's, will be the preacher.

Don't miss it!

A year as a priest

A year ago, I was ordained a priest in Christ's One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, here in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia at St. James Church (Richmond) by Bishop Peter James Lee and a whole host of other priests. After several years of the "discernment process" and three years of seminary and six months as a "transitional" deacon, this was a joyous day and a wonderful occasion. Though it is the general practice in the Episcopal Church to not have people take pictures during liturgies, there were a few wonderful pictures taken, the following two were taken by the local paper here in Richmond.




That's my head under Bishop Lee's hands...(I wonder how many priests he has ordained!)



And then this one taken by a family member...




It has been a wonderful, rich, and challenging first year as an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church for me, and one of the most important gifts is that I get to learn from students, teachers, and staff as I function as a priest within a wonderful Episcopal School, St. Catherine's School, here in Richmond. I preach weekly to the youngest of our students, and work with a wonderful colleague who is our lower school chapel coordinator - she and our music teacher do the bulk of the planning of these lower school chapels, and I have learned so much from them. Twice weekly, I assist our wise and compassionate middle school chaplain who is a gifted preacher and pastor. Every once in a while I have the privilege of preaching to the middle school, but mostly I get to experience the awesome energy and gifts that are the students and faculty of our middle school. I am the coordinator of our upper school chapels, along with our amazing music director, who is an incredible teacher of singing who brings out the best in his music groups. The aspect of our upper school chapel that I am most proud of is that we have had several upper school students preach reflective and insightful homilies during our services. I am so proud of these girls, and hope that more girls are willing to share a story, a reflection, or a bit about their sense of God in their lives.

On top of this "chapel" work, I am extremely thankful for my colleagues - the teachers, staff, and administration, as well as our excellent support staff who are giving, hard-working, wise, and collaborative. If part of a priest's job is to help to "empower the saints" to do ministry, I am blessed with an amazing group of "saints" who already do amazing ministry with our students and with one another. I have been blessed to be serving in such a place, and I thank them heartily. May the Christmas Spirit abide with them in this season and throughout the year!

As we head off to some time off, Merry Christmas!!

(oh, we still have two services tomorrow, of course, and a couple classes to teach...and miles to go before I sleep...)

~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey, Chaplain, St. Catherine's School, Richmond

A beautiful morning

It is a beautiful Fall morning here at St. Catherine's. The leaves are just beginning to turn, and the temperatures are falling. For me, someone who grew up far north of here, this feels a bit more like Fall than our recent forays into the 80+ degree days! It is the middle of the first Trimester here for our Upper School Students and they have weathered some mid-term tests and papers, and faculty have completed writing comments and figuring grades on students. Sports teams are moving toward end-of-season league and state tournaments, the theater department is ramping up their work to put on what should be a wonderful Fall production, and artwork by students is beginning to fill the halls and corridors of this wonderful place. Take a moment to offer gratitude for being where you are, for recognizing the beauty that is all around you, and give thanks for the day. It is a beautiful morning.

~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey

The Rt. Rev. Julio Holguin, Bishop of the Dominican Republic visits St. Catherine's School

The Rt. Rev. Julio Holguin, Bishop of the Dominican Republic gave an inspiring talk in Upper School Chapel today about his ministry and work in that country. We were blessed to have him with us, as well as others who are instrumental in supporting the excellent work and ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic. I will write more in a later post about some tangible ways that we can offer our help, as well as build a relationship with the "D.R." In the meanwhile, here are a few photos from his visit.

~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey