Our retired clergy and their families provide a wonderful resource for the life of our diocese—both in terms of their rich experiences of the past and their present-day gifts for ministry. I value those folks for both reasons. They offer our diocese a treasure of immense worth.

On the other hand, this also is a group of folks who may tend to feel neglected or lost or forgotten, simply due to the change in involvement which retirement naturally brings. Such reactions, however, are not acceptable, and they are not in the best interests of the retired clergy, their families, or the diocese.

In order to maximize the possibilities of exercising gifts and of extending care and in order to minimize the potentials for isolation among our retired clergy community, I have asked the Rev. Albert N. Minor to serve as my Chaplain to Retired Clergy and Spouses. Al and I have begun working on means to incorporate better our retired folks into the whole diocesan clergy family through communication, programs, and care. I am grateful to Al for agreeing to serve in this non-stipendiary ministry and to use his considerable talents on behalf of this important group of people in our diocese.

The Rev. Albert Minor
Named Chaplain to Retired Clergy

by David Smart

The Rev. Albert Minor, one of 40 retired ordained clergy living in the diocese, has most recently been serving as interim rector at St. Andrew’s, Harriman. Since his retirement, he has started a new career in the field of financial planning.

Even though the role of the Chaplain to Retired Clergy and Spouses is in the development phase, some areas of service have already been identified. “I serve as a liaison between the Church Pension Fund and retired clergy if needed” he said. “I will also be available to assist in interpreting the health care benefits available to this group,” he added. Minor’s skills and training in financial planning should prove very helpful in these areas.

“We are planning to provide opportunities for retired clergy and spouses to have contact with one another and to raise their identity in the diocese,” Minor said. “We are working on methods to provide the opportunity for mutual support of retired clergy,” he continued.

“An emergency response system for retired clergy and their families who find themselves in need is also being planned,” Minor said.

“We are open to input as we discern how this position can best go about the work of ministering to those whom we serve,” concluded Minor.

One of Minor’s initial goals, as Chaplain to Retired Clergy and Spouses, was to determine the number of retired clergy and surviving spouses in the diocese. His research yielded the information in the table below.