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 served as the Dean of the Fort Worth Convocation in the North Region of the Diocese of Texas 2022-2024. 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.
The Rev. Linda Taylor
Assisting Priest
Linda Taylor is the assisting priest at St. Luke’s, where she found her heart’s home after returning to Texas in 2017. Her life experience includes electronic drafting in pre-computer days and serving as a registered nurse in San Francisco Bay Area hospitals for 20 years.
She served as rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Santa Clara, and in leadership roles in the Diocese of El Camino Real. Since retirement from fulltime parish ministry in 2014, she has continued to serve in churches from Gualala, CA to Stephenville, TX.
Linda is a spiritual director, supervisor of spiritual directors, retreat leader, conflict consultant and life coach whose ministry focuses on helping people deepen relationships with themselves, each other and the Holy. In addition to choral singing, playing harmonica and exploring new ways of being church, she finds energy in filling
her garden with okra and wildflowers, traveling and watching British mysteries.
Members of the Bishop’s Committee are (L-R) Curt Greenwood, Eleanor Forefang Brockman, Karen Calafat, vicar; Linda Taylor, assisting priest; Susan Reagan, Katie Sherrod, bishop’s warden; William Ledbetter, and Robin Glaze.
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.
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 Rt. Rev. Brian Seage
Assisting Bishop, North Region
Bishop Andrew Doyle named the Rt. Rev. Bishop Seage as the Assisting Bishop for the North Region in late 2024. He took office on January 1, 2025. He is serving in a part time role, being present in the North Region for two weeks each month. His office is at the Diocesan Center at 209 South Main. He can be reached at bseage@epicenter.org.
Brian Richard Seage was the tenth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi. Now resigned, he was consecrated on September 27, 2014. Brian R. Seage was elected on May 3, 2014, at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Jackson, MS. He was consecrated as bishop coadjutor on September 27, 2014, and then succeeded Duncan M Gray, III as the tenth bishop diocesan when Gray retired in February 2015. Seage was elected as bishop coadjutor during his tenure as rector at St. Columb’s in Ridgeland, MS where he began serving in 2005. He was also the dean of the Central Convocation of the Diocese of Mississippi where he helped co-ordinate and enable the ministry of Episcopal clergy in central Mississippi.
He holds an undergraduate degree from Pepperdine University and a Master of Divinity from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. He has been a priest since 1998. From 1997 to 1998, Seage served as curate at St. John’s, Ocean Springs, and then as rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Diamondhead from 1998 to 2005, growing both attendance and programming in the parish. A successful building program was completed and average Sunday attendance doubled during his ministry at St. Thomas. Seage was called to St. Columb’s in 2005. St. Columb’s attendance and programming grew under his leadership and a large building project was completed. Before entering the priesthood, Seage served as director of youth ministry for St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in his native Thousand Oaks, CA. In this large, program-size church he managed a team of volunteers to support both the junior high and senior high youth groups, assisted with chapel at St. Patrick’s Day School, and coordinated the congregation’s Habitat for Humanity program.
In the Diocese of Mississippi, Seage served as a Fresh Start facilitator and was on the diocese’s executive committee from 2006 through 2009. He was also a member of the diocesan Restructure Task Force. Seage was a summer camp session director at Camp Bratton-Green from 2006 until 2019. He also served on the Gray Center Board of Managers and the Executive committee of the Diocese. While at St. Thomas, he served on the board of trustees for Coast Episcopal School. During his tenure as Bishop of Mississippi Seage served the wider church as a Trustee at Sewanee, Trustee at Seminary of the Southwest and Board member for Recovery Ministries of the Episcopal Church along with other assignments. In Mississippi he was active in the wider community with Working Together Jackson and Working Together Mississippi.
Brian is married to the Rev. Kyle Dice Seage, former rector at St. Philip’s in Jackson, MS and current rector at St. Stephen’s in Belvedere, California. They are parents to two adult daughters, Katie and Betsy. Seage publicly announced his plans to resign his position on October 27, 2022. Seage joined his wife in California after the ordination and consecration of the Rt. Rev. Dorothy Sanders Wells as the eleventh bishop diocesan of Mississippi on July 20, 2024
The Most Rev. Sean Rowe
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church