Parish Pastoral Council Election

I am running for Parish Council because I believe that the pandemic, the current clarion call for true social equality, and the move to reform the Roman Catholic Church present an opportunity for Holy Trinity.

The recent disruptions have been challenging for all of us, but we can use this disruption to review our outreach to vulnerable and distant parishioners, to be more inclusive and sensitive using targeted outreach and technology to diverse groups, and to continue to build a transparent parish with significant laity leadership.

I am a retired Georgetown resident with a background in Finance/Budget, Operations and Program Management in Education and Government. At Holy Trinity, I am an RCIA Sponsor, former Social Justice Committee Chair, Manager of Lectors and on the Women of the Bible Advisory Committee and active in the Georgetown Meals Program and other activities.

I promise to you and to the Parish Council to devote the time, attention and energy to guide Holy Trinity to a new and exciting time period with your input and support.

I have been a parishioner since 1994 and have considered this ministry before, but the time demands of raising children made it difficult. With my youngest entering high school and two off at college (hopefully), it may be time.

I am a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Arlington. Cindy and I married at Holy Trinity and we have been involved in the parish since then. My longest role involves child protection – I have long presented the youth protection curriculum to the middle and high school RE students and worked for over ten years with Judith Brusseau on protection issues. I also chaired the Education Committee with perspectives as both a RE and HTS parent. I have volunteered in various roles within the RE program, HTS, as an RCIA sponsor, and eucharistic minister. I have spoken many Sundays as part of the “Raising Faith-Filled Kids” series on children’s developmental issues, online safety, and most recently on talking to kids about diversity.

I would love the parish to be a model for protecting children. For the last six years, I have served on the National Advisory Council for the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, the conference for all men’s religious orders in the U.S. This Council advises CMSM and member religious orders on best practices for protecting children. While the parish does much better than most at implementing good practices, I would love the Parish Council to help HT do our very best across the parish’s various ministries.

I first came to Holy Trinity in 1991 as a resident physician at Georgetown and a young man in search of a deeper religious experience. I have found a home with the Jesuits and the community at Holy Trinity over these years that I never would have imagined possible when I first walked in the doors of our church. I have been blessed by all that Holy Trinity has given me over the years and want to give back now by serving on the Parish Council.

My service at Holy Trinity began with my wife and I serving as a lead couple for the Marriage Preparation program since 2002 after a “sit down” with Fr. Bill Byron. I have served on the Holy Trinity School Advisory Board or the HSA Board for the last 15 years including serving as the President in 2011-2012. I have also served on the Winter Shelter in McKenna; at Christ House and Martha’s Table; the 200/225 Street Fair; and on Teams of Our Lady.

In addition, I have a myriad of experiences that I would love to utilize to serve our parish as it continues its journey through the 21st century including founding a youth-serving non-profit and working as faculty at the Georgetown Family Medicine department. I would be honored to serve our community on the Parish Council in these challenging, exciting times and know that the Lord will guide us to a new and better place. I pray you all stay safe.

I believe my faith journey from young adult, to newly married, to parent, and as empty nester has given me a broad perspective of the parish. A graduate of Holy Cross, I found my faith home at Holy Trinity in 1987 after moving to Washington. The parish became an integral part of my life ever since. Annette and I were married here in 1992 and became progressively more involved in the parish as we raised our family to live the faith. We were facilitators for the Marriage Prep program and served over the years as treasurers, organizers, and as Co-Chairs of Camp Trinity in 2009. I served on the Development Committee from 2010-2012, chairing in my last year. I’ve been a 9:00 AM usher since 2006, so many of you may recognize me as the person who recruits young teens to help during Mass. I believe it’s key to involve youth with their faith. Since they attended public schools, both of my children were enrolled in Holy Trinity’s Religious Education program, which we supported by chairing Faith Formation Appreciation dinners for over ten years. My daughter served as an altar server until she graduated and was a Confirmation peer minister. My son was a teaching assistant for RE Grade 1. They each graduated from Catholic colleges; my daughter then served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. I would welcome the opportunity to continue to serve our unique Jesuit parish during these challenging times for the Church and our parish family. 

As President of the PPC, I am privileged to lead and serve with parish leaders who seek to make Holy Trinity a more welcoming community, advocate for social justice, and cultivate deeper relationships with God.

For two years, I have served on the Facilities Committee, helping to oversee construction of a new columbarium at Holy Rood Cemetery and plan church renovations that updated our sanctuary into a safer, refreshed sacred space. Changes included energy-saving HVAC and lighting upgrades, as well as a new sound system and power-assist doors to make our liturgies more accessible to all.

In 2018-2019, my PPC colleagues and I led Holy Trinity’s response to the sexual abuse crisis by organizing parish-wide forums and prayer services, providing technical and volunteer support to parishioner-initiated action plans, and educating reform advocates about Church governance. Renewing our Church requires advocating beyond the walls of our parish. I personally lobbied Archbishop Wilton Gregory for greater layperson representation—and, as a result, our parish secured a dedicated seat on the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council.

When the pandemic forced us to operate as a socially distanced parish, I gathered parish leaders to examine a new way of proceeding. We turned a crisis into an opportunity to connect, innovate, and better nourish one another’s spiritual and fellowship needs. Our parish celebrated a meaningful, unique Triduum, and I have built on my experience leading YAC retreats to organize weekly online liturgies. These experiences—unexpected and unpredictable—inspire me to seek a second PPC term, during which I hope to join other ministry leaders in continuing to build a welcoming faith community of women and men for others.

I would consider serving on the parish council as another way of living my faith, sharing community and a form of outreach to the community that we live in and serve. When thinking of Holy Trinity Church the words living our faith, community, outreach, welcoming, come to mind

From my first introduction to the Holy Trinity community having found peace inside Dahlgren Chapel as a student and celebrating the vows of marriage, our child’s Baptism, my journey to the Catholic Faith and entrusting my child to HTS I have always felt this was where I should be and being a member of the HTS Parent and Teacher Association. Since joining the Parrish I have had the honor to work as a sponsor in the RCIA program that sheparded me. I have also trained and served as a Sacristan and Eucharistic Minister for over 5 years.

Just as we are called upon to live our faith I believe that I am called upon to be a vessel of outreach that can share with others the path of someone who came to know and love the faith as an adult. Someone who in these challenging times is poised to really hear and craft solutions as a community. I will bring a different voice, a different set of experiences, a connection to the university alumni community and most importantly a to connection neighborhood beyond ours we serve. I have learned that embracing the differences makes for a stronger more vibrate community.

I respectfully ask that you consider me for membership to the Parish Council. 

Hello, my name is Julia Krauss Torrey and along with my husband and daughter have been a member of Holy Trinity Parish for approximately 8 years. I am running for the Pastoral Council because I enjoy the parish, its people and would enjoy helping advance the missions of social justice and community. We enjoy the church as a family and benefit from the ministry of Holy Trinity School, where our daughter is a rising 5th grader. I’ve served in various roles at HTS such as room parent, coordinator of the uniform exchange and arts booster. In the larger parish, I’ve enjoyed participating in projects coordinated by the social justice committee, especially those serving our sister parish St. Jean Baptiste in Haiti.

In the wider community, I share my love of reading as a mentor with Everybody Wins and I’m a past board member of Thompson Markward Hall, a residential hotel for women on Capitol Hill. My past professional life includes many years as an aviation lobbyist and serving as a Senate staffer. I am a native of South Carolina, married to a Kansan, and am mother to a Virginian. It’s been a pleasure and a blessing to be a part of the Holy Trinity Parish where we can work together for a more just and inclusive world in the broadest sense of the Gospel.