Occupation: I am now an Episcopal priest, serving as rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Newtown. I am blessed to hang out with Spirit-filled, faithful, funny, talented, and loving people! I was first ordained a UCC minister in 2001 and was a hospice chaplain for ten years.

Family: Chuck Wyatt and I married 30 years ago, after meeting as graduate students at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass. Chuck has worked as web developer at Clark University for the past 20 years; our daughters are both graduates. Molly is a teacher in Worcester, Mass.; she is completing bilingual certification. Emma is studying speech and language pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Pets: We make our home with a sweet, elderly Puggle named Sadie and a black cat named Bean. They are both chubby. There has always been a black cat at our house!

How long have you lived in Newtown? We moved to Newtown in August of 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. We are getting to know people on hikes, in outdoor meetings, and virtually. It’s odd to preach on camera. My spouse is part of a new “Tech Guild.” We get glimpses of what life in the historic borough is like, and we look forward to being fully engaged in neighborhood and village life.

What do you like to do in your free time? On my day off, I get on Zoom with a tutor and study Irish Gaelic language. I love to walk and cycle, read murder mysteries, and be on a beach.

What is your favorite book? Impossible to answer! The poets: Denise Levertov, Wendell Berry, Adrienne Rich, Seamus Heaney, Rilke, Hafiz, and Rumi.

What is your favorite travel destination? We love pilgrimages in the Atlantic Isles — in Ireland, Wales, and England — walking in the footsteps of ancient Celtic Christian saints. We are fascinated with the Dingle peninsula, on the spectacular western coast of Ireland.

What is the best part about Newtown? I don’t know yet — how can I?

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My father, the Rev Dr Edward W. Castner, ordained and pastoring for 63 years, was my inspiration and mentor in ministry, in the poetry of preaching. Daily, I miss his wise counsel about people and churches.

If you could spend the day with one person, who would you choose and why? A perfect day: poking around ancient ruins or hiking a coastal cliff path with my husband, pondering time and life.

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever been given? Be in the present moment.

What is something you cannot live without? Words. Words help us express our experiences of Spirit, articulate our sorrow and our joy, connect us with each other.

What is your proudest accomplishment? Raising wise, strong, and caring daughters who reach out with empathy and compassion.