February 2, 2015 at 4:10 p.m.
Thakadipuram to leave Nativity of Our Lord Parish
Thakadipuram to leave Nativity of Our Lord Parish
Thakadipuram will depart for his new position the second week of February. An interim priest will take over in his stead until a permanent replacement is named.
Thakadipuram said it's an opportunity to broaden his work as a teacher.
"I will be at the Wisconsin border (in a city called) called Stillwater," he said. "Although I am moving to the Minnesota side, I still plan to be a Packers fan. It will be an exciting time, moving to a smaller parish. I have two passions. One is being a priest and pastor, and the other is being a teacher. You think about your dream job and I think I am moving in that direction."
Thakadipuram's background is in teaching. He's spent significant time working on papers and books that expand on developing ethical cultures.
"I have been a teacher for 10 years," he said. "My training is in management and organization development, especially looking at the spiritual side of it. I've published a couple articles about the idea of wholeness leadership and that has become popular. I also published another article called 'Building Ethical Cultures in Emerging Markets: BRIC by BRIC.' All these are coming through for me as far as exploring my academic side. I thought now might be a good time to move into writing and teaching. I talked to the bishop about it and he saw it was my strength and wanted me to explore it."
In the three years since Thakadipuram started at Nativity, he said he's accomplished most of the goals he set out to accomplish. When he arrived he said he found parish that needed to be steadied and he believes that's what he's done.
"I took over the pastorship in January of 2012 (after the departure of Rev. John Gerritts), so we've already finished three years," he said. "The parish was really looking for direction, especially with its building project. They were planning on having a new building, but they didn't have enough resources. My trained background is in large group processing,"
So Thakadipuram set his sights on building a foundation that would sustain the church's future plans.
"As soon as I came, I said my two goals are to actually know people and to help navigate the ship a little bit ahead. I feel that has been accomplished," he said. "I'll especially remember working with the key leaders here. I came as a stranger and you can't get anything done without the support of the key leaders. They understood what I can bring in, and that's community processing. I'm excited I was part of the journey of this parish."
That doesn't mean he's not going to miss the friends he's made in Rhinelander, especially those in the school. Thakadipuram said one of his greatest joys was interacting with the kids.
"I am going to miss the children," he said. "I play kickball with them and teach them some Ping-Pong. It's a joy to be with the kids. When I'm having a bad day, I go to school and look around at their smiling faces. They lift my spirits. They're the future. I'm going to miss being with the kids and seeing their futures."
It's a future, that at least spiritually, Thakadipuram has helped shape. That's what made leaving such a hard decision. He's proud of the work he's done though and he believes he's leaving the parish in better shape than when he first arrived.
"I have a little bit of sadness mixed in with my feelings," he said. "In my final farewell, I should probably say 'I love you but I had to leave you.' That would be a good way to put it. I came as a stranger and you welcomed me. Now I'm leaving as a friend. We have rebuilt together, the foundation is clear and now it's a matter of getting it done."
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
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