Leadership
The Rev. Karen Calafat
Vicar
The vicar is the ecclesiastical (church) authority of the mission congregation. The vicar has authority and responsibility for worship and the spiritual jurisdiction of the parish, subject to the rubrics (directions or guidelines) of the Book of Common Prayer, the constitution and canons of the church, and the pastoral direction of the bishop. The church and parish buildings and furnishings are under the vicar’s control. She presides at all vestry meetings.
Karen Calafat is an Episcopal priest, certified spiritual director, and supervisor for spiritual directors. She is the Dean of the Fort Worth Convocation in the North Region of the Diocese of Texas. She was Chaplain and Spiritual Care Provider at Hillsides Home for Children in Los Angeles, caring for emotionally disturbed foster children in a residential treatment center. She served as Associate at St. James’ Episcopal Church and Interim at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, both in California, before relocating to Texas a few years ago.
Karen replenishes her soul meeting God in nature by hiking, camping and exploring National Parks. She is passionate about the dignity and worth of every human being and strives to help others discover the fullness of God’s grace and love.
Members of the Bishop’s Committee are (L-R) Karen Calafat, rector; William Ledbetter, Susan Reagan, Elizabeth Edwards, Sherri Glaser, Tony Kroll, and Robin Glaze, Bishop’s Warden.
Bishop's Committee
The Bishop’s Committee is the legal representative of the parish with regard to all matters pertaining to its corporate property. Members are elected by the congregation at the annual parish meeting. The vicar is the presiding officer. The bishop’s warden is appointed by the Head of Congregation and leads the congregation between vicars and is a support person for the priest.
The basic responsibilities of the bishop’s committee are to help define and articulate the mission of the congregation; to support the church’s mission by word and deed, to select the rector, to ensure effective organization and planning, and to manage resources and finances.
Tony Kroll
Director of Choirs & Organist
Tony L. Kroll is a graduate of Oklahoma State University where he studied organ with Gerry Frank. His work in church music started in 1980, serving Episcopal and Catholic parishes in Oklahoma, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Texas.
His local service includes St. Joseph Catholic in Richardson, and he comes to us from the Church of the Holy Apostles in Fort Worth. In addition to serving our parish, Tony teaches Communication Studies at Mountain View College in Dallas.
COUNCIL DELEGATES
The delegate to Diocesan Council is Sherri Glaser. The alternate is Katie Sherrod.
The Rt. Rev. Andrew Doyle
Bishop Diocesan
Bishops are one of the three orders of ordained ministers in the church (deacons, priests, and bishops). They are charged with the apostolic work of leading, supervising, and uniting the church. Bishops represent Christ and his church, and they are called to provide Christian vision and leadership for their dioceses. A diocese is the territorial jurisdiction of a diocesan bishop. The term also refers to the congregations and church members of the diocese. Bishops serve as the focus for diocesan unity and for the unity of their dioceses with the wider church. Since the bishop’s ministry is a ministry of oversight, the term “episcopal” (derived from the Greek episcopos, “overseer”) is applied to matters pertaining to bishops. An “episcopal” church is a church governed by bishops, and “episcopal” services are led by bishops.
C. Andrew Doyle, ninth Bishop of Texas, describes his six-word autobiography as: “Met Jesus on pilgrimage, still walking.” Bishop Doyle received his M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary after receiving a fine arts degree from the University of North Texas. Previous to his election in 2008, Bishop Doyle served for five years as Canon to the Ordinary. He also served churches in Temple and College Station, as well as being elected deputy to several General Conventions. He most recently served on the Structure Committee and is currently president of the Compass Rose Society, a global group of patrons and leaders making a difference in the Anglican Communion.
Bishop Doyle’s focus for ministry is service, evangelism and reconciliation, planting 15 new churches and more than 50 new “missional communities” in the next five years. An avid reader and fly fisherman, Bishop Doyle has written several books, often mixing references from pop culture’s music and movies with the latest in secular leadership trends in order to reach the broadest spectrum of readers and challenge Episcopalians to move into their communities with the Gospel in word and action. His writings include: “Unabashedly Episcopalian: The Good News of the Episcopal Church”, 2012; “Proudly Episcopal”, 2015; “Church: A Generous Community Amplified for the Future”, 2015; “A Generous Community: Being Church In A New Missionary Age”, 2015; “Small Batch: Local, Organic, and Sustainable Church”, 2016; “The Jesus Heist”, 2017; “Vocātiō: Imaging a Visible Church”, 2018; “Citizen: Faithful Discipleship in a Partisan World”, 2020; “Embodied Liturgy: Virtual Reality and Liturgical Theology in Conversation”, 2021.
The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry took office as the presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church on November 1, 2015. The Episcopal Church is a province of the Anglican Communion.
The presiding bishop is the chief pastor and primate of The Episcopal Church. The chief bishop in an province of the Anglican Communion is called a primate. As chief pastor, the presiding bishop is charged with initiating and developing church policy and strategy, speaking God’s Word to the church and the world, and visiting every diocese of the church. The Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (also known as the National Cathedral, the site of the funeral of former President George H. W. Bush in 2018) in Washington, D. C., is the official seat of the presiding bishop. The office of the presiding bishop is located at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City. The present term of office for the presiding bishop is nine years. He formerly served as the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.
Curry is the first African American to be elected to the office of presiding bishop. You may recognize him as the preacher at the 2018 royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.