Our practice is one of shared leadership between clergy and lay people in every aspect of our congregational life.
The clergy lead our spiritual life and practice in worship, pastoral care, education and faith formation. Parishioners partner with the clergy, serving important roles as lay leaders. They are readers, servers and healers during worship services, teachers in church school, and members of the pastoral response team.
The rector of the church manages the staff and day-to-day affairs of the church with support from the wardens (elected lay people). Together, the rector and wardens lead the Vestry, a group of 14 lay people who are elected by members of the parish. The Vestry has the spiritual responsibility for leading members deeper in relationship with God as well as the material responsibility for the business affairs of the church, including finances, property and other church operations. We place a high value on transparency and welcome parishioners to attend the monthly Vestry and Finance Committee meetings.
The clergy and Vestry work collaboratively to develop and implement church programs and ministries, with active involvement from parishioners.
Clergy
The Reverend Nicholas M. Morris-Kliment
The Reverend Nicholas M. Morris-KlimentRector
Raised on a nursery in rural Maryland, Nick was educated in Episcopal and Quaker schools before coming north to attend Yale College. While pursuing graduate study in history at Brown, a friend invited him to church, where he had an encounter with the Living God. Six months later, he was baptized. Nick came to ordained ministry after a career in secondary school teaching and chaplaincy. Following graduation from Yale Divinity School, Nick served parishes in Weston, Concord, and Lynnfield before coming to Needham. He loves to sing, play the drums, go to the gym, shoot baskets, read, be in/on/next to the ocean, listen to NPR, and eat ice cream. He’d like to hike more, and to try his hand at calligraphy, photography, and playing the bass. Nick is husband to Jamie, Chair of the Classics Department at the Roxbury Latin School, and father to Sam and Lydia.
Nick loves being a parish priest. His ministry is helping people to hear and share the music of Christ’s love and acceptance.
Professional Staff
Kaitlin McSweeney
Kaitlin McSweeneyOffice Manager
Kaitlin is a Massachusetts native, who resides in Canton with her husband and two elementary-aged children. They are avid hikers and a busy hockey family. She has a background in retail and is also a licensed MA Real Estate Agent. When time allows, Kaitlin and her family enjoy being at their home on Mount Desert Island, ME and in Acadia National Park.
Maryann Badejo
Maryann BadejoController
Woody Hughes
Facilities Manager/Sexton/Rentals
Woody lives with his wife in Dover. He’s a father of 3, grandfather of 8, and great-grandfather of 5! Woody has been a home contractor for more than 30 years, and air vehicle mechanic before that. He’s excited to join the Christ Church community.
Bird Treacy
Bird TreacyChildren’s Programming Coordinator
Bird Treacy is a Godly Play trainer, church programming consultant, and writer originally from Staten Island, NY. Raised in the ELCA, she is the third generation in a line of Sunday School and children’s programming leaders and began serving in children’s ministry in her early teens. Since then, Bird has gone on to teach Godly Play in large churches like St. Bartholomew’s Atlanta and Trinity Church Wall Street, as well as in smaller communities like St. Paul’s Holyoke. More recently, Bird has participated in the Godly Play Foundation’s Equity Audit process, led children’s programming at the Wild Goose Festival, and directed the children’s program at St. John the Evangelist Hingham on Boston’s South Shore. Bird is the writer behind the weekly newsletter Wiggles & Wonder, and her writing also appears on BuildFaith and Grow Christians. She lives in Brighton with her wife Caelan Tree, a veterinary student at Tufts, and their four cats.
Mary-Katherine Fletcher
Mary-Katherine FletcherMinister of Music
Mary-Katherine Fletcher received her Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Bridgewater State University, where she originally studied the piano as her primary instrument. The decision to take “just one semester of organ lessons” at BSU led to the discovery of her love for the organ, which she then studied for three years with Dr. Steven Young. This spring, Mary-Katherine completed her Master of Sacred Music degree from Boston University, where she studied the organ with Peter Sykes. She has performed throughout New England in locations including King’s Chapel (Boston,) the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul (Lewiston, ME,) Trinity Church (Boston,) Old West Church (Boston,) and St. John’s (Bangor, ME) and was recently named as a scholar in the Organ Historical Society’s Biggs Scholar program. She is the former director of music and organist at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Acushnet, MA and is thrilled to be the Minister of Music at Christ Church.
