Ministers

 August 18th, 2024

To the Ministers, Board of Directors, and congregants of the Center of Enlightenment, 

Today, I wish to honor the Senior Ministers who have graced our spiritual community in the past. Reverend Ken Nowaczewski, Reverend Kathleena Katona, Reverend Karen Woodmancy, and others—whose names, though momentarily elusive, remain etched in our collective memory. 

To be a Senior Minister at the Center of Enlightenment is to ascend to the highest honor—a role accompanied by the sacred mantle of Apostolic Succession The Apostolic Succession is handed down from the current Apostolic Minister. This minister is the only one who can ordain other ministers. The Apostolic Succession is a spiritual passage, handed down directly from the gospel’s original Apostles. 

The Apostolic Minister is the one who makes the decision and passes the succession to another minister of their choice when they retire or no longer wish to serve in this capacity. Apostolic Succession is not bestowed based on seniority or tenure. Instead, it rests upon the discernment of the Apostolic Minister .

In March 2020, Reverend Ken Nowaczewski graciously passed the Apostolic Succession to me, marking my elevation to Senior Minister. This title has been a source of immense pride, but today, I humbly announce my decision to step down. It is a decision that I spent a great deal of time praying about and thinking over. 

It was not easy, but it was the right decision with the interests of the church in mind. As many of you know, my job has been extremely challenging and requires me to work different times of the day, including several nights and weekends.  

This year the workload has been extremely grueling, and our team is a key component of a larger scale project that I have been appointed as Tech Lead on, so my time will become even more scarce in the next couple of years. 

It is only for this reason the timing is right for me to step down and announce that as of today, I am formally passing the Apostolic Succession to Reverend Carol Willis as our new Senior Minister here at the Center of Enlightenment. 

I intend to give Rev. Carol my support and will continue to serve as a Minister on staff here. It is my sincere desire that you also give Rev. Carol as much assistance and support as you have given me over the past four and half years. 

I want to thank everyone for your loyalty and your willingness to keep the Center of Enlightenment going strong into the future. 

May spirit bless each and every one of you as we journey forward. May our community thrive and prosper. 

With heartfelt gratitude, Rev. Keith Norton