What is a Curate? Reflection from Rev. Mees
This week’s reflection from Rev. Mees Tielens, Curate
From 2021 to 2023 I had the good fortune of being the seminarian (intern) at St. Anna’s, and now I have the good fortune of being the curate! And because ‘curate’ is a weird word, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about my new role a little bit.
One thing to know is that a curate is not a junior vicar or even a regular assisting priest. Though I’m fully ‘licensed’ as a priest, there’s a lot they don’t teach you in seminary and a curacy is a period for new priests to learn. That the Diocese and Trinity Wall Street agreed to my placement at St. Anna’s means that they agree that it is a rich and healthy place for me to continue to gain experience as an ordained leader in the church.
What that looks like? Well, I plan our monthly Sunday school and youth group offerings (new this fall!), organize the deanery youth group with my deanery youth ministry colleagues, but also do things like prepare candidates and/or their parents for baptism and supervise our amazing acolytes. Additionally, I plan liturgies with Rev. Jane. I preach and preside on Sunday mornings and feast days. I’m part of the Vital + Thriving team. I provide pastoral care to members and support our newcomers ministry. I go to deanery meetings and take part in diocesan governance–just recently I served on the diocesan Taskforce for Trans and Non-binary Inclusion. I represent St. Anna’s at community events, and I help out at the Roar Store at Kimball. With Michelle Price and Mission Possible I’m working on plans for LGBTQ+ outreach as well as outreach to families in our community, and I’m also exploring how we might serve people and families who are not being served by traditional worship–those are parts of my job I’m particularly excited about. Though there are never enough hours in my week in which to do the work, I love the variety of things I get to do at St. Anna’s!
All of this is possible thanks to a generous grant for seminary graduates offered by Trinity Wall Street in New York. I serve St. Anna’s on a ¾ time basis: that’s 30 hours a week, give or take, and one Sunday a month off. Though my hours vary, I normally work Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays–besides Sundays I’m in Antioch most Mondays and Thursdays, and by appointment. If you want to get a hold of me, you can reach me at (415) 535-8417 or by email, mees@saintannas.org. I love talking to people and getting to know you all better, so please don’t hesitate to reach out! If there’s a way I can support you in your work to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world, I’d love to hear it.
St. Anna’s has been a nurturing, grace-filled, and generous place for me over the past couple years, and I am grateful to be able to continue to learn with, and from, you all over the next two years.