The Rev. Thomas Parke, 72, the spiritual leader of the Bethesda Episcopal Church on Washington Street for 44 years, died Monday after a battle with cancer.
“The Saratoga community, Bethesda Church and the Diocese of Albany have lost a faithful priest and a wonderful man,” said the Rev. Marshall Vang, who has been serving as the church’s rector since Parke’s retirement eight weeks ago. He was also friends with Parke for many years.
My wife and I had the pleasure of worshipping at Bethesda Church when we were in Saratoga for the races several years ago. Wonderful traditional liturgy and gorgeous music. The sermon was adequate and probably above average for most Episcopal Churches of the time. My home parish was meeting in an elementary school gym at the time, and the Gothic Revival beauty was a welcome respite from concrete block and folding metal chairs.
Can you believe it as Providence would have it I ended up worshipping in this parish on Father Parke’s last Sunday before retiring. We had a lovely visit and it was clear he was a faithful, caring priest. What a long period of time he served there–a terrific model for what an ordained minister can do by nailing his feet to the floor, as it were.