October 29, 2011 - At the annual conference of the Vergers’ Guild of the Episcopal Church (VGEC) held at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio, the Reverend Matthew T. L. Corkern was named chaplain by Guild president Margaret McLarty. Fr. Corkern was also recently called to serve as the 13th rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in Summit, New Jersey.
According to McLarty, “The Guild chaplaincy is a very important part of our organization and we could not be more pleased with this appointment. Matthew has a history of actively supporting the ministry of the verger as he has served in various parishes. When we gather at our national conference, it is fulfilling to have such a dedicated chaplain offer support for this unique ministry.”
Fr. Corkern is a graduate of Yale Divinity School with concentrations in Anglican liturgy and spirituality from the Institute of Sacred Music. He has served as Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, in Mobile, Alabama; Canon Residentiary at Christ Church Cathedral, in Nashville, Tennessee; and Associate Rector at St. John’s Church, in McLean, Virginia. He is the father of the Guild’s youngest verger member, Preston Coke-Corkern.
“I am honored to have been named Chaplain of the VGEC and I look forward to working with the board and membership providing spiritual leadership and support. I foresee my duties to help proclaim the Guild’s message of service and hospitality throughout the Episcopal Church,” said Fr. Corkern.
In addition to fulfilling the typical roles of chaplain for over one thousand members of the VGEC, he will be teaming up with David Jette, Head Verger of Trinity Parish in New York City, to plan a 25th Anniversary pilgrimage to Great Britain in 2013. Over the past ten years, Fr. Corkern has led twenty-three pilgrimages to the British Isles and Western Europe. The vergers’ pilgrimage in June 2013 will be a spiritual and cultural journey across northern England beginning with a retreat on Lindisfarne and continuing with visits to the cathedral communities of Durham, York, and Lincoln.
Additional information on the VGEC 2013 Pilgrimage will be available soon at vergers.org.
For additional information, please contact Scott Smith, Communication and Technology Officer of the Vergers’ Guild of the Episcopal Church at [email protected].
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