Last April, shortly after Easter, our former Organist and Choirmaster Matt Glandorf told me that he had accepted a church music position in Germany. Just a few days later, I emailed Jack Burnam to ask if he might be willing to serve as Interim Organist and Choirmaster through the remainder of the calendar year. Thankfully, Jack said yes! In the past few months, Jack has brought many gifts to us, including his depth of experience in church music, musicianship, thoughtfulness, vast musical knowledge, and devotion to the Christian faith.
Personally, it was a real relief to me to be able to focus on the search for a new Director of Music and know that the music ministry was in incredibly capable hands. But more than that, I found myself enjoying immensely serving in ministry with Jack. I would look forward to Tuesday Evening Prayer, when I knew that Jack would pray with me after being in the office, as well as Thursday Evening Prayer. And with Jack’s presence at Good Shepherd, we had the added bonus of getting his wife, Jeannette’s, presence, too. I feel like they’ve become a part of this church family, and I hope they do as well.
This Sunday will mark the end of Jack’s time as Interim Organist and Choirmaster. Our new Organist and Director of Music, Robert McCormick, will begin his duties next week. As a small gesture of gratitude for all that Jack has done for us, we will have a special celebration after Sung Mass this Sunday, including a light lunch and cake. Although we will have some kind of precipitation this weekend (which may be more rain than snow), if it’s safe for you, I hope you will plan to be at Mass on Sunday (The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ) as we say thank you to Jack. We will not say goodbye, because I expect (and hope!) we’ll continue to see Jack and Jeannette.
And thankfully, we have two more services with Jack. On Friday, January 5, we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany on its eve. Epiphany is one of seven principal feasts of the Church year (in other words, it’s a big deal). I strongly encourage you to attend Mass at 7 p.m., which will include a procession and the blessing of chalk for marking doors at home, an Epiphany custom. In typical Anglo-Catholic fashion, at Good Shepherd, we celebrate certain feasts with gusto, which is increasingly rare in the Church. It’s a great privilege to be able to pause amid our ordinary lives and celebrate God’s time breaking into ours. After Mass, we will enjoy a potluck supper in the retreat house. Sign up to bring a dish here. If you haven’t yet attended one of our potlucks, you’re missing out! They’re lively social occasions and the food is delicious (i.e., not just your usual array of church casseroles and jello salads).
I look forward to seeing you this weekend as we celebrate the close of Christmastide and give thanks for Jack’s marvelous service through music at Good Shepherd.
Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle