Leadership

Mother Penni Chambers began serving as Vicar of The Church of the Holy Family on September 1, 2025. She first arrived at Holy Family as a seminarian field placement student in September 2019. After graduating from the IONA School for Ministry through the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, in June 2021 she served St. Bede’s Episcopal Church, Santa Fe, as a transitional deacon for almost a year.

Mother Penni’s ordination as an Episcopal Priest was a joyous occasion celebrated at Holy Family on June 3, 2022. This marked the beginning of a new chapter with Holy Family, signifying both a new call to ministry and a strengthened bond with the congregation. Mother Penni served as an assisting priest, and then as an associate priest under the direction of Pastor Corinne Hodges.

Coming from a Methodist Church tradition, Mother Penni first experienced the Episcopal Church in 1998. She attended St. John’s Episcopal Church, Odessa, Texas, with her soon-to-be husband, Charles. She remembers feeling immediately at home in the Episcopal Church. Her priest quickly offered Penni the opportunity to serve as both a Eucharistic Minister and a Eucharistic Visitor.

She was confirmed by Bishop Ohl on the Day of Pentecost (May 23) 1999. and soon was elected to serve on the St. John’s Vestry. The more she became involved in the Church, the more things she felt God calling her to do. It was during this time that Mother Penni began to get a sense that she might be called to ordained ministry. But having a full-time career running her own CPA practice and raising a teenage daughter, she just kept telling God, “I’m just too busy.”

Charles and Penni were fortunate to be able to retire in 2014 and moved to Santa Fe. They attended Holy Faith, were active, serving as acolytes, and participating in many areas of church life. It was during this time that Penni realized that her call to ordained ministry was only growing stronger, and with much prayer and discernment, she realized that she was, in fact, not too busy to answer God’s call.

Charles and Penni are blessed with three daughters and four grandchildren. They cherish the time spent with their family and enjoy traveling throughout God’s beautiful world.

Mother Penni is enthusiastic about pastoral care, preaching, and serving both Holy Family and the wider community. She and Charles are grateful that God has brought them to The Church of The Holy Family and look forward to many years of serving God together.

Mother Kathy recently retired after serving the last twenty years in the Dioceses of Colorado, Montana and the Rio Grande. Most recently, she was Vicar of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Raton, NM. Prior to that time, she assisted at St. James in Taos, served as Vicar at St. Luke’s Westcliffe, CO, Rector at St. Andrew’s in Polson, MT, and Curate at St. Gabriel the Archangel in Cherry Hills Village, CO. Mother Kathy attended General Theological Seminary in New York City and was ordained in 2003. Before seminary, she worked as a therapist in the area of child protection. Currently she is a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children in the foster care system and also teaches an online parenting class to parents who struggle with addiction.

Mother Kathy loves to bake and once had a one-woman bakery! She enjoys walking several miles a day, no matter where she is. She knits, crochets and reads a lot. Currently she is making blankets for homeless shelters and to outfit apartments that are available for those who have been homeless. Mother Kathy was born in Brooklyn, NY, and has two children and four grandchildren, who live in CO. One daughter is an art therapist and one is a full-time mom.

Fred is an accomplished composer, publisher, keyboardist, and a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA) where he earned degrees in Church Music and Organ Performance. He directed church music programs in Lutheran, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic parishes across the US for 40 years before retiring from full time music ministry in 2021.

Fred’s well published catalog of compositions includes works for organ, choral music, chamber pieces, art song and song cycle, along with a symphony, organ concerto, and extended vocal works including operas, oratorios, and cantatas. His organ works are regularly performed in major churches across the US and Europe including the National Cathedral in Washington DC, the Memorial Church at Harvard University, as well as Ripon, Southwark, and Canterbury cathedrals in the UK. He is a Co-Founder and Director of Firehead Organ Works.

Fred and his wife Susan live in Placitas where they enjoy cooking together, the Sandia Mountain views, gardening and long walks, as well as the company of their God-children who live just across the street.

“I came to Holy Family with my two teenage kids in 2010.  We had previously been Roman Catholic.  We needed a church that would provide acceptance and support, and we found it here, in abundance.  I was received into the Episcopal Church in 2011.

I am a former Foreign Service officer (my husband Dan and I met in Croatia) and have also worked in education and public service.  I have spent the bulk of my career in education working with special needs students, particularly those with emotional, behavioral, or neurological challenges.  I am retired from Santa Fe Public Schools but still substitute occasionally.

At Holy Family, I am in the choir, a lector during services, and am now the parish administrator.  I participate in Bible study, Prayer Squares knitting group, and Red Sky Readers book club.  Retirement has freed me to participate in our monthly Food Depot volunteer days.  In the past, I have served as Bishop’s Warden, delegate to Deanery and Convention, and volunteer at Camp Stoney.  I am a member of the Board of Women of the Diocese of the Rio Grande (WDRG) and I love sharing our ministry of retreats, renewal and fellowship with women across the Diocese.”

“I was raised Roman Catholic. Having worked for the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix, AZ, as a project manager for a major fire reconstruction, I then assisted the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona as the Clerke of the Works (over fifteen years). My work with the Episcopal Church confirmed to me their open and non-judgmental philosophy.

When we moved to New Mexico in March 2019, we decided to attend the Episcopal Church. After looking at websites of the three Episcopal churches here in Santa Fe, we sought out Holy Family. It was warm and welcoming. I enjoyed the service, especially the Sermon and communion service.”

“I grew up in a Southern Baptist and an Evangelical Free Church. I was baptized when I was about 11 years old. I went to a liberal arts Christian college (Wheaton College in Illinois.) My senior year, though, a good friend of mine got involved in an urban church in Chicago that a professor from Wheaton also attended. I started attending that church with the professor, and it helped my faith to see Christianity in action in that neighborhood.

I still attended evangelical churches as a young adult, as I didn’t know other churches, but then was involved in a Mennonite church (not old order or plain), and found that Anabaptist theology with its emphasis on peace, justice and generosity resonated with me. When I got married, my husband and I found another church together near our home, and then the last 6 months of our time in Denver started attending an Episcopal Church where an acquaintance of mine from the E. Free church and Wheaton College was the music director.

When I was looking for a church in Santa Fe, I decided to look for an Episcopal Church, and found Holy Family. I like small churches, and Holy Family feels like my family.”

“I was raised in the Disciples of Christ Christian Church, where my family worshipped and served throughout the first 35 years of my life. I dedicated my heart and soul to our loving God at age nine.

Over the years, I taught Sunday school, sang in the choir, led Christian Youth Fellowship (CYF), and served on the Pulpit Committee and in Christian Women’s Fellowship.

I was blessed to serve in elementary education for 36 years, teaching early childhood and 1st through 5th grade, and later serving as an assistant principal for 10 years.

I became an Episcopalian in May 2006 at Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Dallas, Texas. I loved the welcoming, non-judgmental community whose mission was to seek and serve Christ in all persons. There I served on Altar Guild and was blessed to be trained as a Stephen Minister.

Judy and I moved to Santa Fe in 2015 and visited several Episcopal churches. As we got to know and love Mother Penni, she invited us to her ordination at Holy Family—an experience that was warm, touching, and deeply moving. We saw a joyful, welcoming community with a strong sense of love, service, and celebration.

After many visits, I felt God leading me each Sunday to Holy Family, where the love and joy of worship are shared in so many ways. I have found a church family that is kind, inclusive, and caring for God’s people.

Since joining Holy Family, I have served as a greeter and on Altar Guild, and I am now honored to serve on the Bishop’s Committee.

During recent health challenges, I was given a loving prayer blanket—covered in prayers from the Prayer Squares—which has been a great comfort and strength.

Through every season, God has been faithful, and I am grateful for the many blessings of community, worship, and prayer. Holy Family has strengthened my faith and reminded me that I am never alone on this journey. I look forward to continuing to grow, serve, and trust God’s guidance in the days ahead.”

“I have been coming to Holy Family for over seven years and have received solace and guidance from each service. I came to Holy Family from a Catholic church and was received into the Episcopal church in 2019. For the past ten years, I have been a project manager and sales manager at an IT consulting company, RESPEC, based out of Albuquerque. I sell our services nationwide, with a particular focus on data management. I have also served in the US Navy and the Department of State.

I hope to bring my years of experience in marketing and community service to the Bishop’s Committee and continue to expand our amazing and generous support to those less fortunate in our community.

I plan on supporting our community outreach efforts and work with the Vicar, the Warden and the rest of the committee to continue to grow our church in all our efforts to expand our reach.

My most memorable experience at Holy Family was the gift I received after I broke my foot. I was in a no-pressure cast and had to get around on a knee scooter. I was depressed and had trouble at home and at work. The first time I was able to make it back to a church service, the congregation presented me with a prayer blanket that I treasure to this day. It made all the difference in the world in my recovery.”

Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee Nation) became President of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) on July 1, 2007. He led the development of a comprehensive strategic plan and a campus facilities master plan resulting in academic program expansion, growth in student enrollment, construction of five new buildings on campus and the launch of a successful capital campaign.

Prior to joining the IAIA community, Dr. Martin was the Associate Head for the American Indian Studies program at the University of Arizona. He also served as President of Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque for eight years and president of Haskell Indian Nations University for ten years. Under his guidance, Haskell made the transition from junior college to a university offering baccalaureate programs. In addition, he served as the President of Tohono O’odham Community College (TOCC) in Sells, Arizona. During his tenure, TOCC achieved accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission and was designated as a 1994 Land Grant Institution by the U.S. Congress.

Dr. Martin is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and received his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Kansas and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Appalachian State University.

He has served on the boards of American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Lensic Performing Arts Center and the Higher Learning Commission—a regional accreditor for colleges and universities. He also was awarded an honorary doctorate from Baker University and in 2010 he received the Tribal College President of the Year Award.

In the fall of 2024, Dr. Martin received a National Humanities Medal in a ceremony with President Joseph R. Biden at the White House. On November 17, Mayor Alan Webber of Santa Fe declared “Dr. Robert Martin Day.”

Dr. Martin retired in July after serving as IAIA president for 18 years.

“My husband, Phil, and I moved to Santa Fe in 2020 during the pandemic.  I have been attending Holy Family since that time, first via livestream, then in person (yeah!).

I was raised in a Christian household where many relatives were pastors; some Presbyterian, some Methodist, some Church of the Brethren, some Baptist.  At age 15 I met God in the Anglican Church while overseas and never looked back.  The liturgy, the grounding in scripture, the lay participation, the welcoming breadth of the American Episcopal version all drew me and keep me meeting God in an honest and joyful way. 

I have been a speech-language pathologist working with non-verbal students needing communication support.  Since coming to Santa Fe, I have been a reading specialist for ReadingQuest and am currently working at Cochiti elementary.   

As far as church leadership goes, I have participated in and led just about every aspect of church life with the exception of money and buildings/grounds.  I have been the junior warden, worship steward, education director, music team leader, liturgist, welcoming steward, preacher, EFM mentor, and discernment committee chair.  Specific skills I bring to the Bishop’s Committee include organizational abilities for both administration and worship, an understanding of our church as part of the larger world Church and a deep commitment to our call to service in God’s name.

We are blessed to have three Episcopal churches in the Santa Fe area; we are part of the Church Large.  I keep my toes dipped in all three church pools, glad to participate in all opportunities for worship, study and service.  Holy Family is perfectly situated to support the families, businesses and services in the South side, particularly as the buildings go up and growth is booming!  We will have plenty of opportunities to offer God’s love to our new sisters and brothers.  What a privilege!”

“I’ve been a Holy Family church member since 2018, after I retired as a librarian from the Texas Tech Health Sciences Library in Lubbock and moved to Cochiti Lake, with my poodle, two cats and several full bookcases. A cradle British Anglican/now American Episcopal, I have searched spiritually beyond its doors but found my home right where I started! Along the way, I have become a Daughter of the King and a Third Order Franciscan (hence the TSSF).

Here, at Holy Family, I have served as a Bishop Committee member, on the altar guild and, currently as a Reader. As part of this family, where I have been welcomed with open arms, I participate in our Red Sky Book Club, our Prayer Squares and Ken Kochbeck’s Wednesday evening Bible Study group. I recommend all three! In the future, I’d like to see our church family continue to grow, to support our outreach programs and to find ways to help our church become more solvent.”

Holy Family Episcopal Church
10a Bisbee Court
Santa Fe, NM 87508
USA