Clergy and Staff
Fr. Seth Donald began his tenure as rector of Christ Church in August of 2022. Prior to Christ Church, Fr. Seth served as the 5th Rector of St. Michael and All Angels in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He is a native of Jennings, Louisiana and holds degrees from Rhodes College, BA; Centenary College, MBA; and The University of the South, M.Div. He is currently undergoing doctoral work at Fordham University with a special interest in Ignatian Spirituality. Before being called to ordained life, Fr. Seth had a business career with a Fortune 30 company. He is an avid reader, enjoys travel, good food, and any excuse to be outside – gardening, hiking, hunting and fishing. He is married to Amy Parratt Donald; they have three daughters: Mary Brooks, Eliza, and Mae and a goldendoodle named Olive.
Fr. Guimond Pierre Louis arrived at Christ Church in July 2023. He comes from the countryside of Haiti where he grew up with two courageous farmers as parents and 4 siblings. Fr. G was ordained a transitional deacon at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince in November 2017 and to the priesthood at the Immanuel Chapel in Virginia in March 2019. After completing two bachelor’s degrees at the Episcopal University in Port-au-Prince in Accounting and Theology, his academic journey has taken him to the US to complete a Graduate Certificate at Hartford Seminary in Interfaith Dialogue and a Master’s degree at Virginia Theological Seminary. Fr. G previously served as assistant rector at St. Peter’s in the Woods, Fairfax Station, VA. He finds his balance by combining his love for ministry with contemplation, reading, and jogging to clear his mind and be reminded of God’s presence in all things and contained by no things.
Fr. Winston Rice returns to Christ Church Covington from an ongoing professional background in Maritime and Energy Law. Since ordination to the Priesthood in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana in 2005, Fr. Rice has served as Assistant and Associate Rector and Priest-in-Charge of Christ Church, Covington, Louisiana, and three months as Interim Rector at St. Matthew’s, Bogalusa, Louisiana. He is now Gulf Coastal Chaplain and Executive Director of Maritime Pastoral Institute. Fr. Rice is also active as a US Coast Guard Chaplain and Chaplain member of the Military & Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem. Fr. Winston assists with a variety of ministries and pastoral opportunities at Christ Church and provides a consistent and focused pastoral presence at Christwood.
Fr. Dennis Ryan was ordained to the priesthood in 1991 after a stint in the military and in the business world. He served at Trinity Church, Hattiesburg, MS and St. John's, Pascagoula, MS. After retiring from St. John's in 2013, he served as Interim Rector of Christ Church. When Fr. Bill Miller was called here as rector, Dennis accepted a position of Priest in Charge of St. Michael's, Mandeville. Deciding that he was ready to stop working full time, Dennis agreed to come back to Christ Church part-time. He oversees our Pastoral Care Ministries and is present for many of our Wednesday morning Bible studies and noon Eucharists.
Deacon Phil Wild rejoined the clergy staff of Christ Church in 2022. He was one of eight postulants formed and ordained to the Vocational Diaconate on October 23, 2005. Phil’s early formation was in the Roman Catholic Faith Tradition, and he was received into the Episcopal Church in 1974, prior to his marriage to his wife Phyllis. He served full time as Deacon at Christ Church for four years, acolyte and Eucharistic minister mentor and spearheaded nursing home and homeless shelter weekly visits and donation collection and distribution. After an extended sabbatical in 2012, he was appointed by Bishop Thompson to serve as Diocesan Safety Manager. In November of 2018, Phil complied with mandatory age 72 retirement status. He has since been granted by the Bishop permission to serve part time as Vocational Deacon at Christ Church and is eager to participate however needed.
Mary Anne Reidy returned from Boston to Christ Episcopal Church as Parish Administrator in 2023. In Boston, she was supporting her daughter who was pursuing a career as a professional ballet dancer with the Boston Ballet. While there, Mary Anne worked for the Four Seasons, coordinating confidential transactions for high profile guests on their top nationally ranked concierge team. She has been a parishioner here since 2003 and was our Parish Life Coordinator and Children’s Formation Coordinator from 2009-2017. Mary Anne has years of experience in church life development and ministry. She created parish life events and specialized children’s programs, as well as children's outreach programs. She is also a Godly Play Foundation certified teacher.
Olivia Moss was born and raised in Lake Charles, LA. She is a lifelong Episcopalian and grew up attending Good Shepherd Episcopal Church of Lake Charles. Olivia attended LSU for undergraduate studies and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. She spent the last six years as a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse in Chattanooga, TN before she and her family moved to Covington in the summer of 2023. Olivia is married to Brent Moss and they have two children, Margot and Oliver. Olivia enjoys traveling, cooking, being outdoors and spending time with her family and friends.
Kathy Turner is a cradle Episcopalian who grew up in north Louisiana (Minden). She met her pilot husband, Randy, at Louisiana Tech University where they both earned their bachelor degrees. After moving around for several years while her husband served in the U. S. Air Force, she and her family moved to Covington in 1981 and put down roots. She has been involved in various roles at Christ Church since then. Although she is currently the webmaster, she has worked in several paid positions in the church, in addition to many volunteer roles and serving on the vestry. She also sings in the church choir, is a Eucharistic Minister, schedules the lay ministers and, when she is not at church, teaches Jazzercise. Kathy and Randy, are fortunate in the fact that their two daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren live here and are often at church with them.
Carolyn Parmenter came to Christ Church in 1995. With degrees in music and in law, she is a singer, a choir director, and a lawyer. She is also a Benedictine oblate. The Benedictine motto is Ora et labora (Pray and work). One of the great joys of her life is getting to pray and work with the Christ Church Choir. The Choir has the great privilege of studying and working together to sing the Psalms, the great hymns of the Church, the rich choral literature of the Anglican tradition, and Gregorian chant. With the music illuminating the Word of God, our work together is community prayer, in which we find direction, strength, comfort, and glimpses of the Divine. Carolyn’s continuing studies range from study with Alice Parker to study of Gregorian Chant at the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes, in Solesmes, France, and with Father Columba Kelly at Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Saint Meinrad, Indiana. Her favorite liturgy is Evensong. She lives in an interspecies family, with two black Labrador retrievers.
Iana Obolenska-Moran became the organist at Christ Church in 2012 while working on her Accounting degree at Southeastern Louisiana University. She is a native of Ukraine and came to the United States as a student in 2007. She holds a Masters degree in Music as well as a MBA. While here, she met her now husband, Andrew, who is also a musician. They have two beautiful children, and enjoy opportunities to make music together.
Matt Lemmler After earning a Bachelor of Music from Loyola University and a Master degree from Manhattan School of Music in NYC, Matt toured four years with Andrew Lloyd Weber’s The Phantom of the Opera. Once he finished touring, he came back to the Big Easy and sharpened his skills with some of New Orleans’ finest bandleaders, including Bob French and the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, Herb Tassin and the Blue Room Orchestra, and master clarinetist Pete Fountain. Lemmler has toured internationally performing at Jazz Fests, Jazz Masses, house concerts, and conducted clinics and workshops. When in New Orleans, Matt and the NOLA Jazz Revival (an Ubuntu of talented musicians, producers, and educators) can be found creating masterful recordings, original show productions, and unique learning opportunities throughout the communities. His upcoming eighth CD release, New Orleans In Stride, is a musical history tour through New Orleans music.
Bobby Coxe lived in Baton Rouge for forty five years before moving to the Northshore area in 1997. He began attending Christ Church and was quickly elected to the Vestry. After rotating off the Vestry in 2001, he joined treasurer at that time in the church finance department. They worked together until about 2008, at which time Bobby took over the treasurer position. He graduated from LSU with a BS in Accounting and later received an MBA from University of New Orleans. The majority of his professional career was in the automobile business for more than thirty years in various capacities.
Cindy Leaber was born and raised in Thibodaux, LA. She has a B.S. in Finance from LSU and previously worked as a Municipal Bond Analyst with Morgan Keegan & Co. She and her husband, Tommy, moved to the Northshore in 1996 and have 2 children – Katherine and Evan. They currently reside in Mandeville and regularly attend Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church. Cindy has worked for Christ Church since 2010 and is thankful to have had the opportunity to do so.
Leaders of our related institutions
The Reverend L. Stephen Holzhalb, III, D. Min. has served as the Executive Officer of Christwood since January 2004. As the rector for 30 years of the Episcopal Church that founded Christwood, he was the community’s first Board president. Fr. Steve was also instrumental in the founding of Christ Episcopal School, a day school adjacent to Christwood’s campus and St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Mandeville. www.christwoodrc.com
Dr. Murray is beginning his first year in the fall of 2023 as Head of School after serving for eleven years as Dean of Academic Affairs at Franklin Road Academy in Nashville. Dr. Murray’s academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in education from The University of Virginia, a master’s degree in private school education from Columbia University, and most recently a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Auburn University, where he was the Clark National Graduate School Scholar Winner in 2010.