The Carillon A MESSAGE FROM MOTHER COOPER - Caroline Church
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January/February 2022
Caroline Episcopal Church of Setauket Volume 1, Issue 1
The Carillon
A MESSAGE FROM MOTHER COOPER
Happy New Year!
We have had a busy few months since our last Carillon! Since Catherine’s depar-
ture the office has had a great deal of revamping. Thanks to Angela Sacco (with
good help from Andrew Visconti) new computers have been secured and installed,
programs and mailing lists have been consolidated, and a new way of getting news
out to all of you! Meanwhile, Angela and Ginny Apmann made certain that the
Christmas office tasks were completed seamlessly. Bulletins, emails, ZOOM links,
and flower orders all worked beautifully this season!
What of course did not work as expected was Christmas Eve. I came down with
COVID and although my symptoms were mild, I could not be among you. Again,
Andrew to the rescue! Due to his skill and imagination, we produced a hybrid ser-
vice which even included the Eucharist. My thanks to him and also to Ginny,
Bruce Lockerbie, and Don Muffly who all pitched in to provide “live” leadership at
those Christmas services. Finally, thanks to Dr. Kalina Mrmevska, the Caroline
choir and the hired musicians who made that service even more special.
You will be reading in this article a little biography of our new Parish Assistant,
Bethany Ostrander. Having interviewed four candidates for the new office posi-
tion, Bethany stood out as the best qualified by far. I believe she has both the
skills and temperament to serve Caroline well. Further, with the guidance of our
Office Transition Team (Angela and Ginny) her first weeks should pass smoothly.
Liturgy wise, these months have been eventful too. You experienced the singing of
“the Great Litany” on the First Sunday of Advent. We celebrated the Eucharist
with the priest facing the people for all four weeks of Advent. St. Nicholas paid INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Caroline a visit. You, as members of Caroline, acted as Santa by taking little tags
from the church narthex and buying Christmas gifts for local children. Altar Guild
navigated the various altar color changes and provided us (as usual) with the prop- Update on Rector Search….2
er flowers, greens, and Christmas decorations for the season. And, I as your inter- Welcome Bethany .............. 2
im, represented you at two Thanksgiving services (the Three Village Clergy’s ser-
vice and All Souls Service on Thanksgiving morning.) Stewardship ....................... 3
Christmas Pageant ............. 3
Community wise, Caroline was well represented this season as well. Jackie Hull,
who is the “New Member Committee” chair, took me to The Three Village Cham- Interview with St. Nick ...... 4
ber of Commerce Christmas Party and introduced me to a number of people there Advent ................................ 5
to do some networking and a few days later, she coordinated Caroline’s participa-
tion in the “Electric Parade.” What a fun event, and so well attended that our 500 Christmas Eve .................... 5
candy canes were all handed out before we reached the corner of Main St and 25A! Electric Parade ................... 5
As to what is upcoming, the Vestry is continuing to work on the search with our Wreath Sale ........................ 5
consultant Diane Gaidon, our annual meeting is right around the corner, Bible A Letter from Claire Mis .... 6
study, the Path and our Healing Service are about to resume after a holiday break,
we will soon be celebrating the Caroline Church’s 299th birthday on January 23rd, Annual Meeting & Elect…...7
and last but not least on January 29th, Claire Mis will be ordained deacon! Vestry Nominees ................ 8
I hope that each of you has a happy and healthy new year. Happy 299th Birthday!.......9
See you at the annual meeting!
Faithfully, Cooper+
UPDATE ON OUR RECTOR SEARCH
After ten months of meetings Over the next few months we
via Zoom and in person, and expect to see the Rector search
many, many hours of thought- gain momentum, and you will
provoking discussion, writing, be updated as new information
editing and re-writing, the final becomes available. If you are
narratives are almost complete. interested in learning about the
Transition Ministry Conference,
On behalf of the vestry, thank please go to:
you to all the parishioners who www.transitionministry
prayed, attended the summit, conference.org
and helped in various capaci-
Let us continue to pray for
ties. Special thanks to Bruce
guidance with the prayer for
Lockerbie who volunteered his
Caroline Church:
writing gifts to craft our summit
results into a 2-page document.
No easy task. Dear Heavenly Father, we lift
Caroline Church to you in
prayer, as we prepare to call a
WELCOME BETHANY! In March, the Transition Minis-
new priest to
try Conference will take place
Bethany has joined the team as shepherd your people.
whose purpose is to provide in-
our new Parish Assistant, formation to clergy seeking a We ask your blessing for our
starting this year. Bethany new call to ministry. After the interim priest in charge, our
grew up locally, immersed in conference, Canon Claire search
the history and architecture of Woodley, who oversees consultant, the vestry,
the area, including that of the ministry support for the sisters, brothers and
Caroline Church. As a young diocese, will contact all children who gather for wor-
child, Bethany participated in potential matches and invite ship within these walls.
Vacation Bible School at the them to meet with the parish as
a candidate. We ask that your holy
church, as well as a home-
spirit be the light on our
schooling co-op within the
These candidates, along with pathway, guiding, and
Marco C. Smith building directing our thoughts and
during her high school years. others from within the diocese,
prayers as we step out in faith
Bethany graduated from SUNY and those recommended by the
Bishop, will be placed on a list together to
Purchase College in 2020, accomplish this task in love in
where she studied filmmaking and distributed to Caroline
Church for the days ahead.
and video production, as well
discernment. Candidates will We ask this in the name of Je-
as literature and psychology.
then undergo a rigorous Oxford sus Christ who came that we
At home, Bethany is an integral
background check for any po- might have life and have it
member of a small but loving
tential “red flags.” Any candi- more abundantly. Amen.
family, including her mother,
date with a red flag will be re-
step-father, sister, grandmoth- moved from the list.
er, a rescue dog and two
well-fed guinea pigs. Bethany Article written by Barbara Russell,
Junior Warden
looks forward to embarking on
many organization projects in
the office and is grateful for the
opportunity to help her local
community on a tangible level.
2
STEWARDSHIP “LET THE SPIRIT MOVE YOU”
Stewardship season began in September and
despite COVID-19, parishioners at Caroline Church ral-
lied together to raise over $170k to date.
September was jammed pack with events to commemo-
rate the season. Mother Cooper began the month with a
sermon on “Becoming a Steward,” Ginny Apmann, Eric
Ruback and Frank Wieland gave testimonials on how
Caroline Church has made a difference in their lives, and
Mother Cooper, in her second sermon, spoke about how
stewardship made a difference in her life. Commemora-
tive stewardship pins were distributed to church-goers.
The church was decorated with a wreath of birds in sea-
sonal colors symbolizing the pledges received. In early
November, we celebrated the end of Stewardship season
with a Family Harvest barbecue complete with pumpkin
decorating and a graveyard scavenger hunt. Thank you
all for your generous pledges & for your continued
support of Caroline Church!
From the Stewardship Committee: Angela Sacco (Chair),
Ginny Apmann, Mirjana Ellis, Jackie Hull, Sue Rydzeski
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT & Mother Cooper
“Twas the Evening of Christmas,”
written by Glenys Nellist, was performed by the children of the Church School during advent
on Sunday, December 19th. Under the direction of Meaghan McDermott (a School Children’s
Chapel Supervisor and mom of Wyatt (8th grade), Kellen (4th grade), and Owen (1st grade),
the pageant brought together our Church School students and our parishioners to celebrate
the birth of Jesus Christ. With a cast of angels, shepherds, the three kings and Mary and Jo-
seph, we also celebrated the birth of Christ by singing traditional Christmas carols such as
“O Little town of Bethlehem” and “Away in a Manger.”
Following the pageant, the chil-
dren decorated their homemade
gingerbread houses, baked from
scratch and lovingly assembled
by the Specht family. Thank
you to the Marksberry families
who generously donated the
goodies to decorate the ginger-
bread houses. Such a joyous
start to a Christmas season!
Written by Virginia Cash, Director of
Caroline Church School
3
INTERVIEW WITH ST. NICHOLAS
DECEMBER 5TH, 2021
Interviewer: I think I know the story you are talking
about...Jesus tells the rich man, "Go, sell everything you
have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in
heaven."
St. Nicholas: But Jesus goes one step further and says,
"Then come follow me." And that's just what I did… I
started giving away my family's wealth to those in need.
And, I started down the road in becoming a priest and then
a bishop.
Interviewer: Wow. Must have been a cushy job...being a
bishop.
St. Nicholas: You might think so, but during this time the
emperor of Rome wasn't so keen on us Christians. He was
persecuting us, you know, "throw them to the lions" and all
the stuff you see in the movies.
Interviewer: How did the church survive with all that
persecution and killing?
St. Nicholas: Luckily, the next emperor, Constantine, was
different. He made Christianity the official religion of the
Roman Empire. But while we were better off, there were
lots of different ideas floating around as to what it meant to
be a Christian. Constantine ordered all the Bishops to meet
in the city of Nicaea in the year 325 to come to some
agreements. The most important question we had to decide
On December 5th we celebrated St Nicholas Day. was...Is Jesus just a man or was Jesus the same as God? In
the end most of the bishops agreed that the Father and the
Saint Nicholas of Myra, born in 270 AD, in what is now Son are both part of God.
Turkey, was an early Christian bishop who lived
during time of the Roman Empire. Saint Nicholas is Interviewer: There are lots of stories told about you over
the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant the last 1700 years. Why don't you share some of the most
thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, unmarried popular ones with us?
people, and students throughout the world. He was known
for his devout Christian faith and gift-giving and was St. Nicholas: One of my most famous acts of charity was
believed to be the inspiration for Santa Claus. to give money for the dowries of the daughters of a man who
had lost all of his wealth. If that father didn't have the
St. Nicholas agreed to be interviewed for this edition of the money, his daughters would have been sold into
Carillon. slavery. One night, I secretly threw three bags of gold
through the window of the three sleeping sisters. The next
Interviewer: You don’t look like Santa. No red hat or morning the father was heard shouting in the streets of
beard. Are you Santa? Myra, " A miracle! It's a miracle!" When this story got out,
I became the patron saint of brides and women wanting to
St. Nicholas: No, I’m not Santa. I am Nicholas of Myra. get married.
However, I’ve been credited as the inspiration for Santa,
because I was known for distributing gifts to people in need. Interviewer: I know there are so many old stories, but
let's talk about how we celebrate you today.
Interviewer: Can you tell us what your family was like?
St. Nicholas: Well, my years on this earth came to an end,
St. Nicholas: My parents were wealthy Christians. This on the 6th of December in AD 343. But that is where the
allowed me to receive a good education, including religious celebrating begins. The people of Myra continued to honor
training. Both of my parents died when I was 16, so my me with festivals on the 6th of December. At these festivals,
uncle who was an abbot at a monastery helped me grow up. children would receive gifts of money and special
foods. Also, food and clothing would be given to the needy.
Interviewer: Growing up without parents must have been But enough of stories about me. Here's what's really
hard. important. There is no St. Nicholas without our Lord Jesus
Christ, the greatest gift that God has given to the world. So,
St. Nicholas: I was sad, but as an only child I did inherit let the stories about Santa, Father Christmas, or Saint
all the family wealth. With that wealth came a lot of Nicholas begin and end in Bethlehem and the birth of a
responsibility...I found guidance in the Scriptures about child in a humble stable.
what to do with it.
Interviewer: Thank you St Nicholas, and have a very
4 Merry Christmas.
ELECTRIC PARADE ‘21
The Setauket Electric Holiday
Parade was back to
pre-pandemic normal this
year and Caroline Episcopal
Church was happy to
participate. A group of about
12 parishioners met on the
Village Green at 4:30pm on
Sunday December 12th. We
Electric Parade 2021 walked with our holiday lit
ADVENT banner and necklaces to join
the schools, clubs and busi-
Advent is the season of the joyous anticipation of Christ's nesses to march down Main
birth. At Caroline, we celebrated the traditional lighting of the Street to the park by the Se
advent candles. For four weeks in December parishioners' asked Port Deli. We handed out
the question, "Why do we light the advent candles?" The Answer: candy emblazoned with
“Christmas Wishes from
“The first candle reminds us of the light and hope of the Caroline Episcopal Church” to
Prophets. The second candle is a symbol of the light and the our neighbors as we paraded.
warmth Mary and Joseph found in the stable. The third candle We really enjoy being part of
reminds us of the great light and joy which surrounded the this community event every
shepherds when they were told of Jesus’ birth. The fourth year. Written by Jackie Hull.
candle reminds us of the light of love that God gave to the world
with the gift of his Son. But, most of all, we think of Jesus, born in WREATH SALE 2021
a manger and grown up as a loving teacher; and pray to God to
help us to live the way Jesus teaches us so that we may show the Many thanks to all the
real meaning of Christmas.” parishioners and friends of
Caroline who supported this
As we begin 2022, let us remember to carry the light and hope of year’s wreath sale. While a
little smaller than past year’s,
the prophets, the warmth and love Mary and Joseph experienced
we were still able to raise
in the stable, the joy the shepherds felt when the were told of $844, all of which goes to the
Jesus' birth and the light of love that God gave to the world. many Outreach organizations
we support. Thank you again!
CHRISTMAS EVE Written by Sue Rydzeski.
Christmas Eve 2021 was one we will probably never forget.
Mother Cooper came down with a mild case of COVID-19 and
as a result our traditional service became a very un-
traditional mix of live and virtual worship. But that
didn't stop the joy of the evening from filling our
eyes, ears, hearts and minds.
This year we were fortunate to have a harpist,
violinist and organist - our very own Dr. Kalina
Mrmevska - play four beautiful pieces as a prelude
and postlude to the service. The church was decorat-
ed with red and white poinsettias, covering the altar
and cascading down the pulpit. The choir entered to
a darkened church carrying lit candles and processed
to the creche singing "Silent Night." The majesty and
beauty of the moment was awesome.
We thank Ginny Apmann, Bruce Lockerbie and Don Muffly for presiding over the service, the
choir for a beautiful rendition of John Rutter's "A Christmas Lullabye" and we are grateful that
Mother Cooper was well enough to consecrate the Eucharist via a virtual link (thanks to the quick
and creative thinking of Andrew Visconti). It was a blessed night for all.
5 Written by Angela Sacco.
A LETTER FROM CLAIRE MIS
To my dear friends at Caroline Church,
I remember the last day I attended services at Caroline Church
before heading off to my assigned field placement at St. John’s
in Huntington – right before Advent 2019. It was an intense
moment of mixed emotions. On the one hand, I was excited to
move forward into postulancy for the deaconate – a vocation
that became clearer to me during the previous year’s time of
intense discernment.
On the other hand, I felt sad and even a bit frightened as I
thought about leaving this very special Christian family – a
family that for the previous 34 years had loved not only me, but
my husband, Gary, and our children, Jeremy, and Eric. How
does one leave a family that has loved me into a calling that
means I have to leave that love behind?
That was a moment when I wondered if I was doing the right
thing. This was my home! And who would have guessed that
THE ORDINATION
within the last two plus years, we would find ourselves in what
OF CLAIRE MIS feels like a never-ending pandemic which presented challenges
we never could have dreamed of.
The St. John’s Episcopal
It is with great joy that I can share with you now, that I will be
Church is pleased to ordained into the Deaconate on January 29th, 2022, at 11:00 at
announce the upcoming: the Cathedral in Garden City. This moment has come after two
and a half years of intense education, not to mention the
additional hours invested into an extremely active and vibrant
Ordination of Claire Mis parish in Huntington. And, I still have another semester of
school to go after ordination! Whew! Not for the faint of heart,
Saturday, January 29, but when God speaks to your heart, always best to listen. When
2022 at 11:00 am we say “yes,” God, always faithful, will carry us through each
challenge on the journey.
The Cathedral of
the Incarnation So, I write this to say thank you to all of you who helped me
Garden City, New York grow into a person who could say YES to God: the Order of St.
Luke, The Choir, Christian formation programs, Cursillo, The
Daughters of the King, the ECW, VBS, and the Vestry. Yes,
your Vestry has continued to be a great support throughout the
While in-person attend- last two years!
ance will be limited to
invited guests, the A formal announcement will come out from the Diocese, but I
wanted you all to know how much I love you and am grateful
Ordination will be
for the love you have shown me. As of this writing, I am limited
live-streamed. More to only a few in-person guests at the Cathedral. If that changes,
information will follow. you will certainly know, because I can’t think of anything better
than to have you there physically with me. Short of that,
however, the Diocese will put out a live stream that you can
watch from the comfort of your homes!
What does the future hold? Only God knows!
Peace and blessings,
6 Claire Mis
AGENDA
ANNUAL MEETING AND ELECTION
1. Call to Order
JANUARY 26TH, 2022 AT 7:00 PM
2. Opening Prayer
and Meditation
Please join us on Wednesday, January 26th, at 7 pm
3. Election of Clerk and
for the Caroline Church Annual Meeting. The meeting
Appointment of Tellers
will either take place in-person in the Marco C. Smith and Judge of Election
building. More details to follow.
4. The Minutes of Last
Annual Meeting on
Terms are finished for three vestry positions, 01/27/2021
they are: Jackie Hull, Bill Harvey and Mary Wueste
5. Report of the
One warden has come to the end of his term, Nominating Committee
that is: Mark LaSorsa
6. Balloting
Please note that all parishioners in good stand- 7. Interim Priest-in-Charge
Report
ing over the age of 18 are eligible to vote.
8. Financial Reports and
2022 Budget
The polls must, under NYS Religious Corporation Law 9. Reports of Parish
be open for one hour. Please place the date and time Ministries
on your calendar.
10. Election Results
11. Unfinished Business
The Nominating Committee: Barbara M. Russell,
12. New Business
Chair, Janene Timm, Bruce Cash, Mark LaSorsa, and
Virginia Cash presented the following slate of a. Installation of Vestry
candidates. Members
13. Adjournment and
Closing Prayer
WARDEN NOMINEES
Nicholas Amato, Jr
I’ve been a member of Caroline Church for over 26 years. My wife, Diane, and I
were married at Caroline and since that time we look upon the church and pa-
rishioners as family. I am a former school administrator and now the President
of NA Consultants Inc., an educational and college consulting firm.
During my time at Caroline, I am presently serving on the Vestry, and have pre-
viously served for two terms. I have been involved with the Christian Education
committee, served as Acolyte Advisor, chaired the Planning and Evaluation
Committee, served as the Director of the Brotherhood, am on the Transition Committee and have been
instrumental in securing grants for the expansion and renovation of church facilities.
I believe we are at a pivotal point in the life of the parish. In the next year we will select a Priest in
Charge, deal with challenging budget short-falls, attempt to grow the congregation, and increase our
programs in many ways to serve this parish. I think this takes driven leadership with a vision of the fu-
ture and the experience and leadership to make it happen. I welcome the opportunity to apply my skills
for the betterment of Caroline Church.
7
VESTRY COMMITTEE NOMINEES
David Elling Angela Sacco
I have been a member I am honored to be con-
of the Caroline Church sidered for a position on
family for 35 years. I the vestry of Caroline
am retired from Church. I have been a
Brookhaven National been involved in many
Lab where I worked for aspects of Caroline
nearly 40 years. church life including the
choir, bible study, the
My family was involved worship committee, the
in many activities of the intercessory prayer
church through the group, the three-hundred
years and my daughter -year anniversary committee and most recently, as
and my grandchildren are now faithful members of stewardship committee chair. I have also partici-
their church in Westchester. I served on the vestry pated in classes at Mercer School of Theology, and I
for six years as a vestry person and six years as a am currently enrolled as a first-year student in Se-
warden and on many committees primarily focus- wanee University’s Education for Ministry Univer-
ing on the churchyard, building and stewardship sity program.
committees. My reason for wanting to be consid-
ered for a vestry position now is to be part of the I was raised as a Roman Catholic and while I loved
new Rector selection process and by using my expe- the liturgical ritual of the Church, I was not com-
rience can help to make this a smooth transition for fortable with some of the archaic traditions that
all the parties involved. have become so embedded in Catholic dogma. I
was received into the Episcopal Church and haven’t
looked back since. I love Caroline Church - I love
its Anglican heritage and American history and I
Jackie Hull believe that I could contribute well to our parish as
As a life long Episcopali- a member of the vestry.
an, I have been a mem-
ber of Caroline Episcopal
Church since 2005. I Mary Wueste
grew up in Port Jefferson
and was confirmed at St. A cradle Episcopalian,
James Episcopal Church. still Episcopalian by
I have served on the Ves- choice, because of the
try for the past three church’s deep commit-
years and would be hon- ment to the Gospel
ored to be re-elected to through faith, reason,
serve again. I have co-chaired the Membership and tradition, including
Committee where we have procured new signage our efforts to be inclusive
for the church, attained membership in the Three as Jesus was. I moved to
Village Chamber of Commerce and participated in Stony Brook in 1983 and
the Setauket Holiday Electric Parade. joined Caroline Church
shortly thereafter. Both my children were baptized
My family is very involved at Caroline Church: my and attended Sunday School at Caroline.
children, Thomas and Sarah, have served on the
alter as Master Acolytes and in the Vestry as Junior I have been an active participant in multiple activi-
Representatives. I have worked at Mather Hospital ties and ministries, including teaching Sunday
for the past 9 years. I am a founding member of the School, singing in the choir, and previous terms on
Maritime Explorium in Port Jefferson. I have been Vestry. I am excited about the opportunity for re-
a member of the Port Jefferson Fire Department’s newal presented by the need to search for a new
Ladies Auxiliary for 15 years. I am excited to be part Rector and looking forward to finding the right pas-
of the selection process for a new Rector for Caro- tor to keep our church family strong and united in
line Church. As we near our 300 year Anniversary our faith. My vision for Caroline Church is that we
at Caroline Church I believe it is important to look may serve the individual and collective needs of our
toward the future with a clear understanding of our congregation while reaching out to the wider com-
past. Thank you. munity, and be united as we “press on toward the
goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in
8 Christ Jesus”. (Phil. 3:14)
HAPPY 299TH BIRTHDAY, CAROLINE!
The Tricentennial Anniversary Commission
began to meet in early 2019 to brainstorm
ideas for the January 2023 -December 2023
Anniversary celebration.
In 2020 we formed sub-committees to de-
sign and plan Quarterly and Special events.
The Master Plan includes a Period Worship
Service (1st Quarter), a Community Service
function (2nd Quarter), a Homecoming (3rd
Quarter) and a Re-dedication Service (4th
Quarter). A Commemorative Book is also being designed, an exhibit at the Emma Clark Library
is planned and a possible lecture or lecture series is being considered.
The logo created by Rich Schwab was chosen to represent the 300th Anniversary and the motto
“Celebrating 300 Years – Service, Prayer, Worship, Community” will appear on signage, publicity
and stationery. 2021 Zoom meetings were held monthly during which ideas and suggestions
were reviewed and plans were shared and brainstormed. In 2022, planning, marketing and
publicity will intensify. Respectfully submitted, Marcia Seaman and Gillian Winters
Stay tuned for a special Lenten update
headed to your email by February 17th!
PLEASE
Caroline Episcopal Church PLACE
of Setauket STAMP
HERE
1 Dyke Road
Setauket, NY 11733
Phone 631-941-4245
Email: office@carolinechurch.net
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