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St. Cat's Cross Recipients

rachel7299

Updated: Mar 6, 2024


Bill Sapp


The first recipient of the St. Catherine’s cross is someone who, over the years, I’ve come to know for their wise council and willing service. I think I’m right when I say this person was somewhat surprised to find themselves returning to church life after some years away from it. Wandering into St. Cat’s, the spirit moved and they found in this place a new home, a new place to experience God. And out of love for what they found here, they began to serve. Urged into Vestry service, this person served St. Cat’s with vigor, strength and passion.


I remember one meeting, I was discussing a problem we were having. It was kind of one of those death by paper cut problems, but there was no clear solution. No obvious pathway forward. All of a sudden this person stops the meeting and says “well I can figure that out.” They left the Board Room ,the Vestry trailing behind, and walked into the Nave, looking at this problem we faced. About 30 seconds later, this person had our solution. With a net cost of under $10, we discovered a way to fix what was wrong, and we discovered that the crisis we thought was a crisis was in fact, NOT a crisis but a simple fix.


I tell you all this to say that it was this moment that I began to understand what kind of mind was at work. Passionate about solutions, thinking deeply all the time. Sometimes, though, if I’m honest, I thought we were crashing—disagreeing, passionately—about topics in Vestry. But when I took a step back, I was able to see we were, in fact AGREEING. We just got there by very different routes. This person has opened my eyes to the power of having many different thinking and learning styles at work on a problem. Thank God for the mathematicians, engineers, money understander-ers and building mechanics that grace this holy space of ours.


In time, as most do, this person rotated off the Vestry. But this did not change their heart for service. Stepping into multiple other ministries, including Finance committee, this person’s tendency is first and foremost to say Yes to St. Cat’s. That is such a deep gift I can count on. And all these are ways that I know and love this person. But perhaps what I will always value most about this person is the way he loves the people of this place, not only in their lives, but also in their deaths. As our resident grave digger, he  will tell me stories about who we’re burying—from where they sat in church to a recent interaction. And if he doesn’t know them, he’ll ask for a little bit of information about them—something to meditate on as he prepares a space for them to be buried. For these reasons, and so many more, it is my joy and delight to present the St. Catherine’s cross to a man I know as Digger O’Dell, but most of you know as Bill Sapp.



 


Kelly Iacobelli


The second recipient of the St. Catherine’s Cross is someone I’ve come to know as wise, willing and joyful in service. Jumping in where there’s a need, saying yes when asked, and more often than not, three steps ahead of me in knowing what I will need. This person exudes joy, cheerfulness and a spirit of hope.


This person has served St. Cat’s in so many different areas: They served on our Task Force for Regathering that helped us figure out how to safely return to this place during the pandemic, and helped us communicate to the parish from a far when it was unsafe for us to be together. They have been instrumental in redesigning and reworking our website to make it welcoming and hospitable to all. This person also works with our youth, including risking her life to take them to the Grand Tetons—y’all there were bears out there, ready to eat delicious humans! And she heads up the Altar Guild, making sure each week we are able to serve this community, welcoming people to Jesus’ altar. I say it a lot, because it’s true. She is the only person on the planet that I would like to clone.


It is with joy and deep gratitude that I present the St. Catherine’s Cross to Kelly Iacobelli.



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