Trinity Episcopal Church
Meet Trinity’s Clergy and Staff
The Reverend Canon Thomas J. Furrer, Rector of Trinity Church
Father Tom spent his early adult life working in the construction business and beginning a family. Following his conversion to Christ in 1977, he felt that God was calling him to ordained ministry. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1981 with a degree in American History and received his Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School in 1986. He was ordained a Deacon in June of 1986 and a Priest in December of 1986. He has served in the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut ever since. He has served as rector of Trinity in Tariffville since 2000. Before that, he was rector of St. Paul’s in Huntington from 1988 to 2000 and was the assistant pastor at Trinity in Tariffville from 1986 to 1988. In recent years, he has devoted much time and energy to raising support for mission projects in two African dioceses. In recognition of his efforts, he was named honorary Canon of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Kasulu, Tanzania in 2002. In 2004, he was formally installed as statutory Canon in St. Michael’s Cathedral in Kaduna, Nigeria by Archbishop Josiah Fearon. Father Tom is President of Kateri Medical Services, a non-profit corporation which funds and facilitates basic medical care to the rural poor in Nigeria (www.katericlinic.org), recently published his first book, The Living Word of the Living God: A Beginners Guide To Reading and Understanding the Bible, with all proceeds going to support the Kateri Medical Services. He and his wife, Maryjane, have been married 35 years, have raised three adult daughters, and have two grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, gardening, hiking and jogging.
Father Tom’s e-mail is tfurrer@trinitytariffville.org
Nicole Dalto, Pastoral Associate for Youth and Families
Nicole graduated from Roger Williams University in 2008 with a degree in communications. Directly following her graduation she began working for the Stamford Hospital Foundation doing communications, data processing, and event planning.
In 2009, Nicole enrolled at Alliance Theological Seminary to work on her Masters of Divinity at night. After two years at the Stamford Hospital Foundation, Nicole left the company to pursue a full time seminary education and vocational ministry.
In 2010, Nicole began working as the High School Ministry Intern at Black Rock Church in Fairfield, Connecticut. During her time at Black Rock Church, Nicole took part in mentoring high school girls, and planning and executing Youth Group meetings and retreats. Her experience in ministry at Black Rock Church strongly confirmed her call to serve youth and to build them up in Christ.
Nicole joined Trinity as the Pastoral Associate for Youth and Families in August of 2011.
Nicole can be reached at ndalto@trinitytariffville.org
Mary Rose DiGiovanna, Organist and Choir Director
Mary Rose DiGiovanna received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Organ Performance from the State University of New York at Purchase. She has done additional studies in choral conducting, handbells, and choir training at Westminster Choir College and continued studies in Church Music at The Royal School of Church Music in England. She has served numerous churches and schools throughout Connecticut. Prior to beginning her tenure at Trinity in 2005, she spent eight years as a professional interim organist and choir director. In addition to her church work, Mary Rose teaches private piano and enjoys cooking and providing hospitality at home and for the professional organizations to which she belongs.
She has served on the boards of the Hartford Chapter of the American Guild of Organists as Dean, Sub-Dean and Member-at-Large, and for the Waterbury Chapter AGO as Secretary. She served a five-year term on the Episcopal Diocesan Music Commission and has been a member of the Committee for Children’s Ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. She has also served as an adjunct music faculty member at Gateway Community College, New Haven.
Contact Mary Rose at mdigiovanna@trinitytariffville.org.
Louise Boehm, Director of Christian Education
Louise grew up in Edgewater, New Jersey, attended Bergen Community College, and worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 6 years in New York City. After leaving that area she became involved in Hotel Sales in Ocean City, Maryland; Hasbrook Heights, New Jersey; and the Hilton in Hartford.
Since moving to Connecticut in 1976 Louise’s life hasn’t been the same. She became involved in “Friendship Neighborhood Bible Studies” for a number of years and had the opportunity of leading many of them in her home.
She became a member of Trinity Church in 1982 and in 1986 answered the call to become Director of Christian Education. In her time at Trinity, Louise has also been involved in Youth Ministry and Emmaus (an intensive discipleship program for teenagers). Her deepest desire is for each child and youth to know who they are in Christ and to go out into the world and make a difference for Him.
Since 1987 she has been employed by the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut as the Diocesan Insurance Administrator and she also works for the Director of Administration and Finance for the Diocese.
You can reach Louise at lboehm@ctdiocese.org.
The Reverend Patricia C. Joy, Deacon Emeritas
Deacon Pat was born and raised in Hartford, CT. She is a retired RN who worked in the field of Substance Abuse for over 25 years.
She has been a deacon since 1990, having served at St. Andrews in Enfield for one year, and at Trinity until her retirement in 2000.
Deacon Pat is very active in Trinity’s Healing Ministry, including the prayer chain and the Healing Services. She facilitates three Spiritual Direction groups and provides Spiritual Direction for many individuals. She continues her own education through the Spiritual Life Center in Farmington.
Pat has been married for 55 years to her husband Bill, has 3 children, and 7 grandchildren. Her present recreational hobby is rubber-stamping.
Mrs. Ellen Corriveau, Parish Administrator
Ellen became the Parish Administrator for Trinity in December of 2001. Her previous work background included many years working in retail, in both sales and management; as a purchasing agent for a manufacturing company; and in an administrative assistant position at an insurance company. Many of the skills learned through these past experiences have been very useful in this position.
Ellen and her husband Paul have 4 grown children and 6 grandchildren who are the light of their lives. The families all live close enough to see each other all the time. They attend sports events, concerts, special occasions and also have lots of one on one time with all the grandchildren.
Ellen and her husband were members of Trinity for 20+ years before she began working in the office. They grew in their faith and understanding of our Lord as they attended Sunday services and the many wonderful programs here. For Ellen, working in the office is an amazing faith-building experience, where she gets to witness first-hand how the love of Christ works in the lives of so many people.
Email Ellen at ecorriveau@trinitytariffville.org.
Father James Gilmore, Retired Assisting Clergy
The Reverend Dr. James M. Gilmore is a retired Episcopal priest assisting at Trinity Episcopal Church in Tariffville. An active member and chaplain of the Healing Commission, Father Gilmore leads a weekly Thursday Morning Healing Service at Trinity and celebrates the Sunday Evening Mass in the Chapel. He also serves as Chaplain to the Children’s Choirs at Trinity.
Father Gilmore, or “Jim,” is a fifth generation Floridian, and spent his years in active parish ministry at seven churches in Florida and Tennessee, with experience as a curate, church planter, and inner-city rector. He and his wife, Robina, who met when they were both undergraduates at the University of Florida, moved to Simsbury, Connecticut in 2003. Having crossed the Mason-Dixon line to spend their retirement in New England, Jim insists that while it is a bit unusual for people to work in Miami and then retire to the north, at least Connecticut is in Southern New England. It was the lure of living next door to three grandchildren that motivated the move. The Trinity family joined Jim in his grief when his beloved Robina went to be with the Lord in July of 2010. We remain grateful for all of Father Gilmore’s many gifts of ministry which he shares so freely in our parish.
In addition to Father Gilmore’s undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, he earned a M.Div. from the University of the South at Sewanee, a M.S. in counseling from Nova University in Fort Lauderdale,and a D. Min. from the Pittsburgh Seminary in Pennsylvania. While serving as an inner-city rector, Father Gilmore created a family therapy program for adolescents in a drug rehab program, and established a childcare center, soup kitchen and other community programs at his parish. In retirement, Jim enjoys watching football (especially the Gators) and is learning artisan bread-making.
Rev. Ames Swartzfager, Retired Assisting Clergy
The Rev. Ames K. Swartsfager, BA, M. Div., is a 73-year-old Episcopal priest. While in college, he married and started a career in journalism. Graduating from college, he entered seminary and received his Master of Divinity. Ordained in Costa Rica, he was a missionary in Central America for three years, and then became an assistant in a New York parish.
While serving in New York, a chaplain friend of his invited him to preach at the state prison at Napanoch, New York. After that, he was invited by other prisons to run retreats and hold services.
In 1969, he was contracted as the chaplain of the Woodstock Rock Music Festival. After the festival, he took a residency in Clinical Pastoral Counseling to hone his skills in pastoral counseling.
In 1970, he applied for and won a chaplain’s position in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. For twenty years he worked with criminals and then for a year was the Chaplaincy Administrator in the Mid-Atlantic Region. In 1989 he was awarded the “Chaplain of the Year” by the Bureau of Prisons. Retiring in 1991, he and his wife sailed the waters of the Caribbean, Venezuela, and Colombia, where he was a missionary.
While serving there, Father Ames became ill with Myasthenia Gravis, an auto immune disease, and returned to the States. Although he is assisting at Trinity Church Tariffville, Connecticut, his main focus has been writing. Father Ames has published a number of books, including Between the Devil and the Deep…Memoirs of a Maverick Priest, The Cruising Definition, Down Island, A Cruising Prayerbook, The Bitter End Songbook, and more.