Rachel Ding ‘26
Whether you know Reverend Talcott as your chaplain or your Religion teacher, you know her for her wisdom and compassion. Throughout her 15-year tenure, she has made her mark on the spiritual and academic lives at St. Mark's—from initiating the Interfaith Chapel Committee (a body of students and faculty from various religious backgrounds dedicated to furthering our school’s spiritual outreach) to emphasizing secular education about religious topics.
An ordained Episcopal Priest, Rev. T frequently preaches and officiates in the Dioceses of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She defies the saying, “Never mix religion with business,” holding a B.A. in Religion from Princeton University, an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. Beyond her academic and occupational pursuits, she enjoys singing with choirs whenever possible. She has raised three sons with her husband.
As Reverend Talcott is spending her last few weeks with us on campus before retirement, I wanted to ask her some questions regarding her time here and the time ahead of her.
Personal & Professional Reflections:
When did you first join St. Mark’s? How have things changed or stayed the same during your tenure?
I joined St. Mark’s more than 15 years ago—things have changed a lot at St. Mark’s. When I arrived, Mr. Warren had been here for two years, and the school has gotten a whole lot more “intellectual”—the students who are coming and graduating have gotten better and better every year. Lion Term and Saturday Classes are all new additions—before, there was a very old-fashioned curriculum. Mr. Warren modernized the academics dramatically, so what students are getting from the school and giving back are very different.
When I first came 15 years ago, they were having a hard time getting students to give Chapel talks, and now we don’t even have any open slots. Now, the students are eager to give Chapel talks, which tells me they don't hate Chapel.
We have also seen a huge increase in the number of students who want to be confirmed or baptized.
We didn't have affinity groups for the various religions. When I got here, there was a CFG equivalent and a J-Team equivalent, but we didn’t have anything for other religions. We didn’t even have an Interfaith Chapel Council (ICC)—I brought that in. I can’t necessarily speak for the spiritual life from before I came, but it has gotten much more lively.
Can you share a particularly memorable moment from your time here?
COVID was a nightmare—having to do Chapel on Zoom for a year and then in the PFAC for a year was really a low point for me. Though I was impressed by how people came through. It was a high point that nobody let me down. I was working with an incredible team—Mr. Wallace and Reverend Sotler were both incredible partners. That was memorable.
I used to teach Public Speaking and Debate (Saturday class) and an evening class that was totally voluntary and that students actually came to. I also taught an entrepreneurship class—I have my MBA, so I’m a businesswoman. I’ve had the opportunity to teach these one-off classes that hadn’t been done before, and that has been really fun.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?
My relationship with the students and with some of my colleagues. I love watching students grow intellectually. I love to help students develop confidence in the classroom. I like to help them see how smart they are—what they don’t understand is that their grade doesn’t say how smart they are. As soon as they start having confidence, they start letting themselves be smart and get excited about what they see. I’m delighted by what they see— that is the most fulfilling and happiest part of what I do.
Another really rewarding thing is working with sixth formers on their chapel talks. With some of them, we start with nothing, so I have them throw a lot of ideas on the table. We try to get them in some kind of order that has a structure and delivers a message. Sometimes, there will be a block, and we have to get through that block. Sometimes, they don’t make it to the finish line, and we have to come up with something new.
What accomplishments are you most proud of during your time here?
The Prayer Book. I worked on this with a small group of faculty and the ICC. It’s a couple of parts—prayers that have to do with life at school, but there are some for marriage or birth. You get one when you graduate, so you get to bring it into the world with you. Now you know where to go if someone asks you to say table grace or if someone has a baby or something; you’ll always have this with you.
I also brought the three minutes of silent prayer to this school, and I hope that tradition continues because people really like to pray their own way.
What have you learned from the students and staff over the years? What is your biggest takeaway from working with or teaching them?
In some ways, I can’t tell you how much because I learn something from every single person. I mean, I’ve learned how to be a better teacher, a better advisor, and a better person.
What message would you like to leave as you retire?
Keep asking questions. There is no need to close anything early—in other words, don’t decide ‘I’m not good at this’...you don’t know yet. Don’t decide ‘I don’t like this’…you don’t know yet. Stay open and flexible. Listen to the universe. Let the universe speak to you. If you decide you know everything, even if the universe is speaking to you, you won’t hear it. Trust and love yourself!
Looking ahead:
How do you envision the future of spiritual life at St. Mark’s?
I hope we always have chapel twice a week. I hope the chapel continues to be a warm and welcoming place for chapel speakers. I hope our students always want to give chapel talks and feel like the chaplaincy is working as hard as they can to make that work for the students at the school.
I hope we always have excellent, rigorously taught religious courses. They are not Sunday school—they are courses like you would get at a secular university, and I would never want them to become anything other than that.
What are your plans after retiring?
This job is huge, anyone here will tell you that. I haven’t had a spare minute to even think about the future. I’m too busy grading papers, doing Lion Term, and having social duty. My plan is to let the Holy Spirit tell me what to do. She will get in touch with me. I know her. She’s not in any rush, and she knows I have work to do. She will show up, and she will guide me. I have a lot of energy left, so I have a lot to give to the world. I look forward to giving it without having to earn an income.
Are there any hobbies or interests that you plan to take up now?
I want to hit the accelerator on studying Arabic. I want to study it harder and get a tutor. I’m a pretty serious woodworker. I like construction and working with my hands, so I would prefer more projects like that. There’s a lot of reading I’d like to do. I’d also love to be out in nature… hiking.
Do you have any travel plans or destinations you’d like to visit?
I would love to go to Morocco. Someday, I’d like to go to Syria…when it’s a good idea. I’ve never been to India, although I’ve taught Hinduism for 20 years—that would be a big trip, but I would really love to do that.
Do you plan to continue any involvement with St. Mark’s in a different capacity?
This is my school…it will always be my school. I would love to stay connected to St. Mark’s.
Are there any educational or spiritual pursuits you wish to continue or begin?
I’m going to have to wait for the Holy Spirit to let me know what that is—there are so many educational and spiritual pursuits that I wouldn’t even be sure of sorting among them. It’ll be very interesting to see where I go and what I end up doing.
Any last words?
To all of the students at St. Mark’s, don’t be a stranger. I can be found. If you need someone to do your wedding or baptize your child, always feel free to reach out. I feel like I will always be your Chaplain…even though I’ve left and even though you’ve left, I’m happy to always be one of your Chaplains!
