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In last Sunday’s newsletter article about the Altar Guild, Liz Sunderland mentioned that a bonus of being on Altar Guild was getting to know the liturgical team, especially Br. Daniel Klawitter. We thought you all might like to get to know this dedicated and humble witness as well.
Why is Daniel called Brother? He belongs to the religious Order of Saint Luke which was founded in the old Methodist Church back in the late 1940's and now has over 500 members including overseas. The Order is primarily devoted to sacramental and liturgical scholarship, education, and practice. Among other things, members of the Order take vows to seek the sacramental life, to live for the Church of Jesus Christ, and to accept the call to service. The Order's spirituality is based on the Gospel of Luke. The Order is now ecumenical in character and accepts both lay and clergy as well as people of all gender expressions. In addition to living out his sacramental and liturgical vow at St. Thomas, Br Daniel also serves as the Poetry Editor for the Order's journal, Doxology.
Br. Daniel has been attending St. Thomas for 6 years and serving as the senior liturgical assistant for 5 years. He came to St. Thomas after over a decade as an ordained Deacon in the United Methodist Church in Colorado. While he remains deeply formed by the Methodist tradition and the spirituality of John and Charles Wesley, he was missing a more liturgical and sacramental expression of the faith. Br. Daniel has always loved the Book of Common Prayer and leans toward High-Church Anglo-Catholic forms of worship. He feels that while St. Thomas is more in the "Broad Church" tradition, ultimately the church is its people, not a building or a worship style...and the people of St. Thomas are lovely. While searching for a church, he visited several Episcopal churches and was most impressed by the multi-racial make up of St. Thomas and the genuine sense of welcome the congregation provides.
Br. Daniel really likes doing all the little things that make it easier for the priest and/or deacon to celebrate the liturgy. He usually gets to church every Sunday before 9am to fill up all the candles and make sure everything is ready for worship. He most enjoys being a chalice bearer during Communion. His holy exercise of these activities creates a reverent environment which adds to a meaningful experience of the service.
Br. Daniel is the Director of Admissions/Enrollment at Iliff School of Theology. He is also a graduate of the school, receiving his M.Div there with a concentration in Social Justice and Ethics in 2002. Before coming to Iliff he worked as an admissions counselor, a labor and community organizer in Denver representing Mental Health Care Workers and later organizing clergy across various traditions to defend low-wage and immigrant workers around the city.
Br. Daniel was born in a small working-class town in South Texas, did his undergrad in Religious Studies in New Mexico, served as a Mission Intern in the Philippines, and came to Colorado in 1999 to study at Iliff. Br. Daniel and his wife, Angela live in North Park Hill. They have been married for 26 years. They met at a poetry reading in Jacksonville, FL where she was living at the time and he was working as a faith-based organizer with the United Methodist Church. Angela enjoys crafts and knitting and they both enjoy watching British murder mysteries. Br. Daniel appreciates Angela’s slightly wicked sense of humor. Their three naughty cats also keep them busy. Br. Daniel’s parents, sister and Angela’s family all live in Florida.
We know Br. Daniel from the gifts he shares each Sunday, but his gifts and interests extend beyond the liturgical. Daniel is a published poet and has shared his poetry with us, the most recent of which was a children’s book of poems about birds. Being a poet is the vocation closest to his heart and is the art form he has practiced the longest. He also loves to sing and is the lead vocalist and lyricist for the indie rock band Mining for Rain. His music colleagues no longer live in CO, so they write, collaborate and record long distance. Br. Daniel finds that process most enjoyable.
One other interesting piece of information about Br. Daniel is that he is considered a VIP client at a tattoo shop in Denver and will be getting his 7th tattoo in the spring: The Virgin Mary with a butterfly clasped to her heart. He tells me that the word for butterfly in Spanish is "Mariposa" which literally translates as "Mary Pose"...because when a butterfly is sunning itself and slowly opening and closing its wings, it resembles Mary's hands opening and closing in prayer. Very poetic and reverent as is Br. Daniel.
Written by Georgina Lucas
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