The Rev. Gwyneth MacKenzie Murphy.
The Rev. Gwyneth MacKenzie Murphy, “Rev. G,” Vicar at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and Campus Chaplain at SUNY New Paltz, will be leaving St. Andrew’s and moving on to the next phase of her ministry.
“I feel called into a period of deep discernment, spending time in prayer, contemplation and writing,” she told the parishioners of St. Andrew’s in a recent letter. “I have deep gratitude for the ministry we have shared and I thank you for giving me the sacred trust of being your spiritual leader and guide, and your pastor.”
The Reverend Murphy began her ministry at St. Andrew’s on Jan. 15, 2007. She shared her thoughts with her parishioners, saying that she leaves a “strong parish, rooted in prayer, with active ministries. The Spirit is alive and well at St. Andrew’s, empowering us to ‘go forth into the world in peace, to love and serve,’ to spread the Gospel.”
The Reverend Murphy, who has helped organize Episcopalian clergy and laity who march in the Pride Parade each year in New Paltz, will continue to serve as Episcopal Chaplain at SUNY. Her final Celebration of the Holy Eucharist at St. Andrew’s will be this Sunday, Jan. 15 with services at 8 and 10:30 a.m. The 10.30 a.m. service will be followed by a potluck.
St. Andrew’s is pleased to welcome The Reverend Elizabeth Broyles, who will be celebrating mass, providing pastoral care and leading adult education classes. The Reverend Broyles has visited St. Andrew’s many times and is familiar with the parish. She is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary in New York City and has been a priest in the Diocese for 17 years. She was last in residence at Holy Cross Monastery, an Episcopal monastery of The Order of the Holy Cross in West Park.
Meanwhile, St. Andrew’s is commencing the exhilarating search for a new pastor under the guidance of the Diocese of New York.
St. Andrew’s is located at 163 Main Street in New Paltz. For additional information, call the church office at 255-5098.