Prayers may be powerful, but they can’t clean floors. That’s why churches employ sextons to manage day-to-day maintenance tasks. Sextons have worked in churches for many centuries. For example, the gravedigger in “Hamlet” describes himself as a sexton, although the tasks of a modern sexton may vary significantly from those performed by their predecessors. Today, a sexton is much more likely to spend his days cleaning and dusting than digging graves.
The term sexton is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon word segerstein which comes from the Latin word sacristanus. Literally, sacristanus is used to designate an individual who is responsible for the care of objects that are considered to be sacred. A sexton doesn’t necessarily have to be a devout follower of the faith practiced in the church but he does have to be respectful of church traditions and congregants. Here at St. Thomas’s, we are blessed with a new sexton who is also a member of our faith family. So, you know that he is invested in honoring the church’s history and in building the future.
Kenneth was born in Germany to Army parents (who met just down the road at Aberdeen Proving Grounds!), but did most of his growing up in Mississippi. He is a self-identified Anglophile whose spiritual awakening occurred in the Church of England during his Fulbright year in Leicester, UK, which is how he came to be a member of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.
After a difficult year of Covid isolation, he has no words to express how happy he is to be St. Thomas’s new sexton. For him, it is a chance to make new friends and contribute to his community. A reader, an avid movie-goer, and a lover of history and travel, Kenneth likes to think he’s a reliable source of good conversation.
When you see him around the church building, please take a moment to welcome Kenneth to his new role of sexton, and as a member of our St. Thomas’s faith family!