William Weisert
Nominee for: Standing Committee, Mission Council, Lay Person
Please describe your current involvement in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut using first person, narrative language.
I am a member of St. Ann’s. Old Lyme and have worked with Mtr. Anita for the last 5 years at least, serving on the altar and as a member of the Altar Guild, that just recently. I am an avowed monastic Associate of Holy Nativity with traditional monastic vows. I have written the Stations of Creation, with the assistance of the late Bp. & Mrs. Jeffrey Rowthorn. These stations are done at St. Ann’s, usually during Lent or other occasions as an alternative to, or in addition to the Standard Stations, which I also lead. I have written several articles for the Friday e-blasts for St. Ann’s about various aspects of Anglo-Catholic practices. In addition to my current involvement at St. Ann’s, I have been an active member of various parishes from Maine to California fulfilling similar duties and some additional ones. I am a recognized thurifer from the Zabriskie Memorial Church of St. John the Evangelist, Newport, RI. During my time there, I met Mtr. Anita. And this is how I came to St. Ann’s. I graduated from St. Joseph’s College, North Windham, Maine in 1974. While there, I started working with Fr. Harold Macmillan at Old St. Paul’s, Portland. He asked me to take on some family counseling work for the parish, together with altar guild and the acolytes’ guild, this on top of my school work. I also was working on the chapel committee at St. Joe’s and playing the organ in the chapel.
Currently I am heavily involved with the Masonic Fraternity on various levels. I have been a member since 1972, graduating from the Internation Order of DeMolay, or rather retired therefrom because I reached the age of 21. And despite the accusations of various persons who have no knowledge of the fraternity, there is no conflict with Christianity and the fraternity. There are those who claim that the fraternity is opposed to our faith, nothing could be further from the truth. I move on some of the highest levels of the fraternity and am a chaplain/prelate both locally and on the state level. I write various services for the bodies to perform publicly and privately. Nor is my Masonic involvement my only community service, but this involves that I am an ordained clergyman, but not an Episcopal priest. I do not presume to try that particular function as it is totally wrong to do so. I am in the process of becoming a chaplain for the state police and maybe a local department as well. Both are taking their time and getting things going. I think that this has something to do with the current public perception of law enforcement.
I am called to serve beyond my parish and want to contribute to the greater mission of the ECCT. My commitment would be on the same level to which I am committed in my other involvements. I can only promise to contribute my all to whichever committee which you feel I am qualified to serve. I will fulfill the anti-racial training and safe church training as required below in the time required.