INTRODUCING REV. DEE LITTLEPAGE
In our eagerness to share the good news of our new Rector last week, we shared only a picture and a brief biography of Rev. Dorothella “Dee” Littlepage. This week we’d like to tell you a little more about her, and about how the Vestry determined that she’s just the right priest to become our thirteenth Rector.
Dee received a double Bachelor’s degree,
summa cum laude,
from Spelman College in Atlanta, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society. She went on to earn her Master of Divinity degree,
cum laude,
from Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA. Since her ordination to the priesthood of The Episcopal Church, Dee has served as Assistant Rector at St. Stephen’s Memorial Episcopal Church in Lynn, MA, Assistant Rector at St. Augustine St. Martin Episcopal Church in Boston, and most recently has been Executive Director of Roxbury-Dorchester Power in Community Mission Hub, a collective of four Episcopal congregations in Roxbury and Dorchester. The goal of their collaboration is to connect the parishes more closely in order to enhance their ability to engage the surrounding neighborhood, including establishing an ESOL program which led to citizenship for several immigrants.
Following the Transition Process prescribed by ECCT, our Recruitment Committee interviewed candidates and recommended several to the Vestry for final interviews and for the decision on which candidate to call. All candidates led us through a brief worship service, shared a socially-distanced meal with us, and participated in a structured interview during which everyone on the Vestry asked specified questions about all aspects of the Rector’s job.
It is clear to the Vestry that Dee’s gifts and talents align very closely with the present gifts and needs of Trinity Church. She favors the “high church” style of worship while also enjoying experimentation with various styles of liturgical expression. She has a strong commitment to outreach and to social justice concerns, and looks forward to working with Trinity’s Refugee Resettlement efforts as well as all our other outreach programs. And her most recent work was focused on building collaboration among parishes and worshipping communities, a continuing priority for Trinity.
Above all, though, it is Dee’s interpersonal qualities that led us to concur unanimously that she is the priest God has sent to us for this time. Her personal warmth, her openness, her curiosity, and her energy are evident from the first “Hello,” and even a prolonged interview on a hot day could not dampen her good nature and her enthusiasm for the opportunity to connect her gifts of ministry to the community of Trinity Church.
Our Transition Hospitality Committee, along with our Task Force on Re-Gathering, is working on a plan to welcome Dee to Trinity in September. Stay tuned!
