New Chaplain
.
October 11, 2011 • Sam Isaacs, Co-News Section Editor
Filed under Student Life
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School has a new Upper School Chaplain for the 2011-2012 school year. Reverend Patty Alexander has assumed the position of Chaplain after the departure of Reverend Zeigler, and is enthusiastic about her journey to St. Andrew’s and the relationship she can create with students.
As many may not know, Reverend Alexander was originally an English teacher for six years before she received the “call” to be ordained as a Priest. For ten years, Alexander was a parish Priest. She was also a fifth grade homeroom teacher in Connecticut leading up to becoming a Chaplain at St. Andrew’s.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspects of Reverend Alexander’s Priesthood was the “call” she received one day in Church that motivated and inspired her to become a Priest. Alexander described the feeling as “overcome” with a sense of service, and that the feeling came “out of the blue.” “I had an epiphany,” said Reverend Alexander, and soon after was ordained a Priest.
Reverend Alexander commented that there was no prompter for this “call” to Priesthood, but being raised in a Roman Catholic household had a profound impact on her belief system and values, laying the “groundwork” for her ordainment as a Priest.
Reverend Alexander remarks that she felt compelled to come to St. Andrew’s because of the commitment to service, travel programs to help those in need, and the relationships that she could develop while there.
While Reverend Alexander has enjoyed these aspects of St. Andrew’s, there have been difficult aspects of this change, including the move away from her husband, who still lives in Pelham, New York. Alexander’s husband, Reverend Randy Alexander, is an Episcopal Priest in Pelham, who is searching for job opportunities within the greater D.C. Area, closer to St. Andrew’s. Reverend Alexander remarked that the separation from her husband has been “difficult,” but is slowly getting easier to handle.
Reverend Alexander’s children, who attend St. Andrew’s, have found the change difficult as well, but are making the best out of the situation. Alexander’s three children, William, Peter, and Andrew, who are in 5th grade, 3rd grade, and Kindergarten respectively, have enjoyed similar aspects of life at St. Andrew’s and many meaningful opportunities in the process.
As a whole, Reverend Alexander’s journey to St. Andrew’s has been a meaningful experience that has allowed her to meet new people, explore new opportunities, and develop new relationships.
Loading ...
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!