Parish of the Messiah

We are pleased to welcome the Reverend James R. La Macchia as the new rector at Parish of the Messiah. For the past 14 years, Father James served as Associate Chaplain & Religious Studies teacher at Saint Mark’s School, an independent, coeducational boarding and day school located in Southborough, MA.

He holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge and a Master of Arts in English from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude as an English-Honors major. Before his ordination to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church, he was an English teacher for 16 years. He taught writing as well as English, American, and World Literature. Prior to his tenure at Saint Mark’s, he served as the Anglican Chaplain at the Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Center. His parish experience includes serving as a priest in two parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire.

Father James is the author of The Riches of the Word of God: Homilies of an American Priest and is working on another book. He spent nine summers living and studying in Israel/Palestine, and much of his ordained life has been involved with ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, especially among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. He is particularly interested in Holocaust studies and was invited to speak this summer at the 2012 biennial International Conference on Holocaust Education in Jerusalem. He also is a commissioned presenter of the method of Centering Prayer for Contemplative Outreach.

Click here to see a pdf copy of the 2011 Annual Meeting Reports.

Messiah's prayer for new ministry:

Lord Jesus Christ, as you have promised when two or three are gathered in your name, be with us as we endeavor to discern your will as we seek a new rector for our church. We ask you to bless us, keep us, guide us, and fill us with your holy spirit. Grant us wisdom, understanding, and grace as we undertake this holy work. Open our minds to hear your voice calling us to new opportunities. Strengthen the love that binds us in community. We ask this in your holy name. Amen.