\u201cI was really attracted to this place. I felt like I was being called to come to Block Island,\u201d\u009d said [Eileen] Lindeman, who moved here from near San Francisco in late August and now works part-time as vicar, also known as the priest, of St. Ann\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Lindeman\u2019s duties involve leading the Sunday worship services, which begin at 9 a.m. each week and last about an hour. At the service, she leads the prayers, \u201cconsecrates the elements\u201d\u009d (preparing for the holy communion, Lindeman explained) and she also delivers a sermon. She helps lead a monthly Taiz\u00c3\u00a9 prayer service, which happens the fourth Wednesday of each month. She also performs weddings, funerals and baptisms \u201d\u201d the first Saturday of her job she said she performed renewals of marriage vows for two couples.<\/p>\n
Aside from these roles, Lindeman said she really wants to be there for her congregation, and for the community as a whole, regardless of a person\u2019s religious denomination. She said that often people call or visit with specific situations or concerns \u201d\u201d sometimes they just want to talk, she said \u201d\u201d and she wants to have enough flexible time to be there to accommodate each person. According to Lindeman and Parish Administrator Erica Tonner, for a little over a year, St. Ann\u2019s has had an interim priest who has not lived on the island year-round.<\/p>\n