Bidding farewell to old friends is always a sad business, and, sadly, on November 20th we will be doing almost that to our old friends Father Rhae Kelley and his wife Molly. The word “almost” is entirely appropriate because we hope to be seeing them again—if not regularly, at least from time to time.
Fr Rhae and Molly, are leaving for South Carolina, where The Very Reverend Rhae, to address him in proper form, will minister as Dean of the Carolinas. However, they will not be selling their home in Columbia, so we hope they visit us when they return here.
And as added bonus to seeing them, we hope that Dean Rhae will join us on Saturday and/or Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist in the Parish Church.
Dean Rhae and Molly have been fixtures at St Stephen’s for the best part of 15 years. During his service as priest with the parish he has become a very important member of our pastoral care team.
He is a firm favorite at the Glen Meadows Retirement Community, where he regularly celebrates the Tuesday morning Eucharist. He also usually visits patients and celebrates our Wednesday Noonday Eucharist at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore.
Indeed, ministering to the sick and elderly has been a major focus of Dean Rhae’s work here at St Stephen’s. Not only did he visit the sick parishioners and shut-ins of St Stephen’s, he also took the Sacraments to the patients at the Lorien Mays Chapel nursing home and the Lorien nursing home in Columbia. Parishioners also often saw him at the altar during our Friday Noonday Healing Eucharist.
In other words, Dean Rhae, with his rich voice and straight-faced sense of humor, will leave a truly large gap in our community here at St Stephen’s. He will be particularly missed at our Tuesday weekly team meeting, where his running commentary, delivered in a slow Southern drawl, keeps every one in stitches.
The Parish will say our formal goodbyes (well perhaps not quite so formal) at a party at the home of Karen and Don Ruthig at 4020 Holly Knoll Drive, Glen Arm MD 21057 on Saturday, November 16th at 6:00 PM.
Reservations would be greatly appreciated. RSVP to Happy Riley, Director of Pastoral Care, at the Church Office, 11856 Mays Chapel Road, Timonium, MD 21093 or Tel: 410-560-6776.
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