Kate Ekrem, Priest-in-Charge

The Rev. Kate Ekrem came to Redeemer as Priest-in-Charge in 2009. She has previously served as seminarian at Church of the Heavenly Rest, NYC, assistant rector at St. Barnabas in Irvington, NY, and most recently as Rector of Grace Church in Norwood, MA for six years. Before seminary, she worked in book publishing in New York City. Kate has an M.Div from General Theological Seminary and a B.A. from Williams College. She is married to Dave Ekrem, who is the web manager for Mass General Hospital for Children. They have three children: Peter, age 10, Tom, age 7 and Lucy, age 3.

Kate recently returned from a sabbatical during which she studied the spirituality of the Desert Mothers and Fathers and went on an 8-day backpacking trip in the White Mountains.

Sabeth Fitzgibbons, Assistant Rector

The Rev. Sabeth Fitzgibbons, MA/MSW, MDiv, began as Assistant Rector in July 2008. Her ministry areas at Church of Our Redeemer include faith formation for all ages and ministry to newcomers. A lifelong Episcopalian, Sabeth has a deep love for the Church, its people, its history and its liturgy. As a leader in the church long before her ordination, Sabeth has worked extensively with young people. Sabeth’s passion is bringing to life God’s kingdom of love and justice for all people that Jesus proclaimed. This passion leads to her interests in social and economic justice, stewardship of God’s creation, gifts discernment, and ministries of and with young people. Sabeth attended the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, and was ordained in 2006. Sabeth is married to Julien Goulet, a social worker with an interest in sustainable living, and they have a young son.

Ted Gaiser, Deacon

The Rev. Dr. Ted Gaiser hails from rural roots, having grown up in small-town New England, and graduating in a high school class of ninety-nine students in Vermont. He began at The University of Vermont and finished at Boston College with the completion of a Ph.D. in sociology, specializing in the sociology of technology (the ways in which technology impacts everyday life).

Ted has had a wide and eclectic range of employment, including everything from training as a garde manger in a French restaurant to his current work as an entrepreneur and academic. He is currently a start-up entrepreneur, working with an occupational therapist to build a health and wellness business that addresses work-injury prevention and remediation of musculoskeletal pain. He also does occasional business consulting and teaches part-time in Boston College’s Sociology Department.

Ted’s primary diaconal placement is working for Bishop Shaw in support of the diocesan mission strategy as the Deacon for Global Partnerships. He leads various groups to different countries to develop relationships and seed future mission activities between churches in our diocese and churchs elsewhere in the Anglican Communion. He also visits other churches in our diocese to speak about mission, so on occasional Sundays he’ll be on the road.

Cheryl Duerr, Music Director

Cheryl has been Music Director at The Church of Our Redeemer since 1999. As a musician, conductor, teacher, coach, advocate and mentor, she currently leads The Adult Choir, The Youth Choir, The Band, and The Brass Players. During these 10 years she has led the program in the growth of the annual Candlelight Advent Procession on the First Sunday in December, developed and led an afternoon arts and service program The Children’s Choir Program, The Redeemer Talent Show, a children’s musical, It’s Cool in the Furnace, Requiem masses by Faure and Durufle, Evensongs, Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass, and a Festival of Worship and projected Organ Recital for International Organ Sunday.

Ms Duerr has served as a church musician since she was a teenager. She holds a Masters in Music from Boston University and an Associate’s certificate from The American Guild of Organists (AGO). Ms Duerr serves the Guild as Region I (New England) Coordinator for Education, a position in which she travels to the Region’s 21 chapters’ events and conventions motivating and mentoring other musicians. She writes for The American Organist, her Regional Exam Blog and her personal writing blog and her coaching website. Ms. Duerr is a dynamic speaker, and is preparing inspirational clips on YouTube to be run on AGO Websites and Blogs and Podcasts. She serves as a member of the Boston Chapter’s Program Committee and Young Organists' Initiative in which she teaches and mentors budding young organists.

Emma Staatz, Parish Assistant

Emma came to Redeemer in May 2007. She has a Bachelors of Science in Theatre and English from Skidmore College, and a certificate in Book and Magazine Publishing from NYU’s Publishing Institute. While at Skidmore, Emma was very active in both the faith-based (Christian and Jewish) and theatre communities. For two years, she sat on the board of the Three Apples Storytelling Festival for two years. With her sister and brother-in-law both ordained clergy in the diocese, Emma easily found her way to working at Redeemer. She currently serves as the J2A coordinator at Trinity Church Boston and volunteers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in their premedical program. Her love of communication, systems, and people make this job a delight!