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
Rector
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 teenagers 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
Ali Heard
Ali HeardManager of Parish Operations
Ali lives in her childhood home with her young son and parents. She has a passion for her family, organizing, and food (both cooking and eating). Ali loves the ocean in all weather and exploring new places with her son. Ali has a long career in hospitality as an office and operations manager. Over the years, she’s worked with acclaimed establishments such as L’Espalier (Boston, MA), Cru Oyster Bar (Nantucket, MA), and Stowe Mountain Lodge (Stowe, VT). As the Manager of Parish Operations, Ali is able to use her love of organization and caring for others to help everything run smoothly at Christ Episcopal Church.
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.
Mary Jodice
Minister of Music
Mary earned her Master’s Degree in Organ Performance from the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, and completed graduate work in Collaborative Piano there, as well. She has served Episcopal churches in Massachusetts for more than a decade. Mary also works as an organist, collaborative pianist, choral conductor, and continuo player in the Boston area. She has been active as a musical director in churches, a pianist and vocal coach for musical theater, and a continuo player for Early Music performances. Mary is also the Artistic Director and Conductor for the Jubilate Chamber Choir. Jubilate is a flexible ensemble specializing in unaccompanied music from the 1600s to the present. Jubilate also sings Evensong and large Choral works and travels to sing with other groups. Mary loves to work with children’s choirs and has made an effort each summer to go to England to study choral pedagogy and the methods of teaching used in the choir schools there. She believes every child can learn to sing, read music, and grow in community with others.
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.
