I suppose I should probably announce this, since it was announced in church this last Sunday —
Sunday 23 December will be my last day as All Saints Orthodox Church‘s cantor and choir director, and it will be my family’s last day as regular members of the parish. We will still be living in Bloomington until such time as our paths take us elsewhere, and I’m sure we will find ourselves at All Saints every so often — our godparents are there, we have godchildren there, we have many friends there, including the priest — but the next few months will probably more often than not see us visiting various other Orthodox churches in the surrounding area.
My last weekend, curiously enough, coincides with the first pastoral visit to All Saints of His Grace +ANTHONY. The transition aside, I look forward to meeting him and talking with him, and I very much hope that that weekend is only the beginning of a long and fruitful pastoral relationship between His Grace, Fr. Peter, and the parish.
Lest anybody add two and two together to get five — I and my family are all still Orthodox, and the St. John of Damascus Society will continue to be very much a going concern (with this just being the tip of the iceberg — lots of exciting stuff coming down the pike that I hope to announce very soon). The work I’m trying to do with the music of the Church is still very much on my plate, and I remain committed to helping in whatever I way I can with the Orthodox Church’s mission in Bloomington and at Indiana University.
If anybody has any questions, please feel free to ask them in the combox. My family and I crave your prayers as we make this transition.
Leitourgeia kai Qurbana: Contra den Zeitgeist 
What made you decide to change parishes?
Very short version — Theodore has been a marvelously clarifying factor, particularly since his birth has also meant the loss of the most reliable woman in the choir. In addition, there have been three other people who have moved away and/or otherwise had to back away from the choir since June. The situation became one that no longer seemed practical for our circumstances. So, that’s the choir story in a nutshell.
In terms of the parish — there are church organizations that make it a hard and fast rule that if a member of the community’s leadership moves on, they need to not even darken the door for at least a year. The reason for this is simple: the new person in that leadership role needs their own space to find their own way without the old person breathing down their neck. That’s a model that makes a lot of sense to me, particularly as small as All Saints is with everybody kind of in each other’s face all the time without trying already, the priest is in full agreement, so there we are. Not convenient, but that’s not really the point.
Translation: you’re stepping down as choir director, and will be attending a different parish so as to make space for the new choir director?
Something to that effect.
Hey Richard,
I am confused on why you are leaving the parish of All Saints initially. Is there a going problem of interest between traditional byzantine chant and the parish itself? If you could just clarify the reason some more and add some reasoning that would be great! You and your family (it seems weird for me to say that considering we left before that), will be in my prayers.
Thanks,
Jason
Hi Jason — I appreciate the prayers very much. The broad strokes are posted in reply to Teague’s question; obviously, you know the parish very well, so if there are any specific questions I can answer where that’s concerned, I’m happy to do so. Send me a private message on Facebook.