Clero y Staff
Iglesia de la Gracia

Directory

The Right Reverend Charles Edward Jenkins III, Bishop E-Mail

Grace Church is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. Bishop Jenkins is the chief pastor of Grace Church and of all the parishes and missions of the diocese. A native of north Louisiana, he is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University (B.A.) and Nashotah House (M.Div. and D.D.) . Bishop Jenkins has served as a curate  of St. Alban's Chapel, Baton Rouge, and of Grace Church in Monroe, as rector of St. Mark's in Arlington TX and of St. Luke's in Baton Rouge. In 1998, he was consecrated and seated as tenth Bishop of Louisiana. The Bishop's office is next to the Cathedral in uptown New Orleans. Bishop Jenkins is married to the former Louise Hazel and they are the parents of two grown sons, Edward and Ben. Currently the Bishop serves as Vice President (Ranking Bishop) of Province IV of the Episcopal Church and Chairman of the Council of Advice to the Presiding Bishop.

The Reverend Walter Jacob Baer, Rector E-Mail

Father Baer was ordained deacon and priest in 1985 in the Diocese of Milwaukee. A native of Wisconsin, his home parish is Grace Church in Madison, Wisconsin. He served as a deacon at St. Andrew's in Milwaukee in 1985, and as a priest in the Diocese of Western Louisiana from 1985 until 2003:  St. Mark's Cathedral in Shreveport (1985-1990), as Canon to the Ordinary (1990-1996), and at St. Thomas in Monroe (1996-2003). Other ministries have included chairing the Diocesan Liturgy Commission, the Commission on Ministry, Alternate or Deputy to General Conventions from 1991-2003. In Monroe, he was also active in outreach ministries including community organizing. He began his ministry at Grace Church in New Orleans on All Saints' Day 2003. He has degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (B.S.) and Nashotah House (M.Div.). He also studied in Germany as an undergraduate and is fluent in German. Currently, he is working on a D. Min. in "Gospel and Culture" at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur GA.   He is the father of Katie (junior at Colorado College) and Eric (now entering as a freshman at Colorado College).

La Reverenda Mercedes Julián, Vicar for Hispanic Ministries, E-Mail

Mother Mercedes Julián joined the staff at Grace Church in May 2004. She has come to New Orleans from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and through her ministry Grace Church has returned to weekly services in Spanish and a full range of ministries to persons in the Latino community. Her most recent appointment in the Dominican Republic was as Vicar of Iglesia Episcopal San Filipe Apostol and San Pedro y San Pablo in Santo Domingo.  A native of La Romana, Dominican Republic, she became an Episcopalian as a pre-teen.   Her undergraduate education was in elementary education and she worked in Episcopal Schools as a teacher and head of a pre-school prior to her entering seminary. During a five year stay in Panamá, she was ordained deacon in 1988, and as a priest in 1991, after which she returned to the Dominican Republic. She was the first woman to serve as a priest in that country, where she served several congregations including the oldest Episcopal parish in the D.R., Iglesia Episcopal San Esteban in San Pedro de Macorís, and as Rector of Colegio Episcopal San Esteban, 1996-2003. She served as a lay deputy to the General Convention in Anaheim in 1985, and as a clerical deputy in Minneapolis in 2003. Mother Mercedes is joined in New Orleans by her son Samuel, 21, and daughter Paloma, 15.

The Reverend Shola Gideon Falodun, Assisting Priest,  E-Mail

Father Shola has been in New Orleans since 2002, when he came to do extended studies in Clinical Pastoral Education. Shortly after his arrival, he became associated with Grace Church. Fr. Shola is Nigerian from the Yoruba region, and a priest of the Church of Nigeria of the Diocese of Ijebu and licensed in the Diocese of Louisiana. His training was at the Immanuel College of Theology and at the University of Ibandan, receiving degrees in 1987. Ordained deacon in 1987 and priest in 1988, he has served in various parishes in Nigeria and as a chaplain to the Bishop (similar to Canon to the Ordinary in the U.S. church). He also participated in a parish exchange program with the Anglican Church of Canada and the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Nova Scotia. From a family of prominent Anglican Churchmen, Fr. Shola  is currently working among the large African immigrant population in the New Orleans area, many of whom are from Anglican backgrounds but do not find a home in the Episcopal Church when they emigrate to this country. His thesis during his theological studies was in indigenous African sacred music. Fr. Shola is currently working on CD of sacred music in the African tradition with other musicians. He also is an avid soccer player. Married, Fr. Shola is the proud father of two girls. Beginning in September, Fr. Shola will be starting an African Anglican Congregation at Grace Church which will worship on Sunday afternoons.

The Venerable Ormonde Plater, Archdeacon E-Mail

Archdeacon Plater was ordained deacon in 1971 at St. Anna's Church, New Orleans, where he served for almost twenty-five years. In January 1996 the Bishop of Louisiana assigned him to Grace Church. In 1998 Bishop Charles Jenkins appointed him Archdeacon of Louisiana with three jobs: director of the new diaconate program, secretary of vocations, and secretary of liturgy. His wife, Kay, is a parishioner, and she often brings their grandchildren, Ti-Belle and Piers, to Sunday mass. Ormonde is a partner in a sugar cane plantation on Bayou Lafourche, has a Ph.D. in English from Tulane University, and is the author of several books, including Many Servants and Intercession, both published by Cowley Publications. Click to link to Ormonde's Home Page

The Right Reverend Joe Morris Doss, Former Rector E-Mail

Bishop Joe Doss was rector of Grace Church from 1973 until 1985. During his tenure at Grace many innovative ministries were begun. A large adult education program, the development of the Hispanic Ministry, innovative liturgies and drama were important elements that have continued to form the life of Grace Church. In 1980, he and a number of communicants were involved in the Mariel Boatlift, in which many Cuban refugees were brought to this country. Bishop Doss is a native of Alexandria, Louisiana and a graduate of LSU and LSU Law School. Following Law School, he entered General Theological Seminary and was ordained in the Diocese of Louisiana. After his ministry at Grace Church, he served in Palo Alto, California, and then as Bishop of New Jersey. Since his retirement, he and his wife Susan reside on the North Shore, in the Lewisburg section of Mandeville, on Lake Pontchartrain. Their children Andrew and Katherine live in the City and are also sometime attendees of Grace Church. He is the author of The Death Penalty: Law and Morality; The Songs of the Mothers; Let the Bastards Go; and the play Earnest. In his retirement, he leads an ecumenical effort to foster reform and unity within the global church.

Kathy Smith, Director of the Grace Child Care Center E-Mail

Kathy Smith has been the director of the Grace Child Care Center since 1976. Under her leadership the Grace Child Care Center has maintained an excellent reputation in New Orleans as a high quality childcare facility for families with moderate and low income, and for at-risk children. The center usually has a its full compliment of 60 children. Very much a hands-on administrator, Kathy can be seen doing everything from sodding the playground, to reading stories to children, to actively pursuing a grant for a new program at the Center. Kathy, a long time resident of New Orleans, is the daughter of The Rev'd Dr. Prim and Charlene Smith. The late Fr. Smith was the much beloved long-time Episcopal Chaplain at Tulane University and to the Tulane Medical Center. Kathy continues her affiliation with the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Tulane, although she frequently participates in activities at Grace Church.

Melvin Alford, Organist-Choirmaster E-Mail

Mel Alford has been organist-choirmaster at Grace Church since 2002. A native of Mississippi, his musical education was at the Eastman Conservatory in Rochester, New York. Mel has had a piano studio in New Orleans for over 35 years and has taught at Tulane University and other academic settings in New Orleans, and was a founder of the New Orleans International Piano Competition. He has served several churches in the City over the years, and his current project at Grace is the restoration of the 1920 Austin Organ, and a concert series.

Samuel Rivera, Youth Minister E-Mail

Samuel Rivera joined the staff of Grace Church in May 2004, when he arrived with his mother (Mother Mercedes) and sister (Paloma) from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Samuel, 21, is fluent in his native Spanish and in English. He is working to develop youth ministry in the emerging Hispanic congregation, and is working as youth director of our established youth group, with the assistance of adult sponsors from the Anglo congregation. A computer wiz, "Sammy" maintains the Iglesia de la Gracia  web site and translates all parish materials into Spanish. He will soon assume the responsibility of webmaster of the Grace Church site. Prior to his arrival in New Orleans, Samuel worked in youth ministry  and as Assistant Team Coordinator & Computer Network Technician in the Diocese of the Dominican Republic. He was also a student in computer science at the Catholic University of Santo Domingo. He hopes to continue his studies in New Orleans.

Betty Zachary, Parish Administrator,  E-Mail

Betty Zachary has served as parish administrator since 2000, when she retired as a Vice President of Fidelity Homestead Savings and Loan Association. A resident of New Orleans since childhood, Betty has been a life-long member of Grace Church. Since before her retirement from the banking world, Betty was active in the financial affairs of Grace Church and chaired the committee which secured a substantial part of our endowment fund from the sale of our property at 1501 Canal Street in 1997. Besides minding the office, Betty serves on the altar guild and countless other capacities in the life of the parish. An avid aficionado of New Orleans cuisine, and familiar with the wait-staff in countless New Orleans eateries, it has been speculated that Betty has not eaten lunch at home since at least 1955.

Erica Sutton, Parish Secretary  E-Mail

Erica Sutton has been parish secretary at Grace Church for 15 years. Erica is a native of Guatemala and has been in this country for over 21 years. She is fluent in her native Spanish and in English. Erica is usually the first voice one hears when calling Grace Church and she is the person who greets people as they visit the parish office. Her responsibilities include interacting with the public, the Sunday service leaflets in English and Spanish, bookkeeping , computer work, and secretarial work for the clergy. Erica has two daughters, who both live in Jackson, Mississippi. She and husband, Steve, have been active members of Grace Church for many years.

Ronald Kelley, Sexton E-Mail

Ronald Kelley is our full-time sexton. He works afternoons and evenings on Mondays through Fridays. On Saturdays he works morning and afternoon. His good cheer and hard work keep things running smoothly with the many activities and groups that use Grace Church and its buildings.

Ellis Ashford, Sunday Sexton E-Mail

Ellis Ashord is our Sunday Sexton. He opens and closes the building, and does setup work on Sundays. He is also an invaluable help with the kitchen volunteers for the various coffee hour and receptions on Sundays.

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Revised: 15 August 2004

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