On a leafy stretch of Kenilworth Avenue in the village of Kenilworth, the Church of the Holy Comforter has stood as an Episcopal parish since 1902. For more than a hundred and twenty years, members have shaped the congregation around a single conviction: Love is the highest value, and it informs everything else. Worship, life-long learning, outreach and service, responsible stewardship, and living as an inclusive community all flow from that center. The result is a parish that looks outward as much as it looks inward.
Two Sunday Eucharists and a Thursday Morning Service
Sunday worship at Holy Comforter offers two services built on the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. The 8:00 AM service is a quiet, spoken Holy Eucharist, and at 10:00 AM the congregation gathers for a Choral Eucharist with choral music. Both services use Rites I and II and shift throughout the church year, blending traditional liturgical worship with more informal, contemporary celebrations.
Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and recordings of past services are available through the parish's YouTube channel. A weekday option keeps the rhythm going on Thursday mornings at 7:00 AM with a celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Clergy are available through the front office to discuss baptisms, confirmations, confessions, weddings, funerals, and burials.
The Sanctuary Stays Open Around the Clock
One distinctive feature of the parish is that its sanctuary never closes. It is open twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, for personal contemplation, meditation, and time with God. Neighbors step in off the street, off-duty police officers pause in the quiet before heading home, physicians on their way to operate at a nearby hospital stop in for a moment of stillness, and young mothers who have just dropped children at the on-site preschool take a few minutes to themselves. All are welcome.
Children from the Nursery through Twelfth Grade
Formation at Holy Comforter is structured around four distinct stages, each with its own character.
Nursery (Age Four and Under)
The nursery team creates a relaxed environment where the youngest children learn that they are part of a church family and are loved for who they are. Care is offered from 8:45 to 11:30 on Sunday mornings, giving parents freedom to attend formation programs, linger over coffee, or join worship at either service. While children of all ages are welcome in worship, the nursery offers loving hands so parents can step away.
Children's Chapel (Junior Kindergarten through Second Grade)
From 9:00 to 10:00 AM, children gather in the chapel to encounter the sacred stories of the Christian faith through "Godly Play." Greeters welcome them at the door, and each week they listen to a story, wonder about it, and begin to construct their own meaning. In a second hour, the children continue exploring the story through art and music, and once a month they join the wider community around the altar for communion. The Rev. Will Bouvel, Associate Rector, oversees this stage.
Primary Grades (Third through Seventh)
Where the chapel children encounter the breadth of scripture, the primary grades are invited into its depth. The class runs in Fall and Spring sessions, each focused on a single scriptural story that the children work through week by week using cardboard boxes to dramatize and play through the narrative. The Fall session traditionally culminates in the Christmas pageant, exploring the scriptural roots and extended stories of that holiday. During the second hour, children may sit with their class in the sanctuary or assist the younger children with art and music. Acolyting typically begins at this age.
Junior and Senior High (Eighth through Twelfth)
For older youth, the theme is embodiment - how the lessons of Jesus connect to identity, daily life, and vision for the future. From 9:00 to 10:00 AM each Sunday, the class opens the Gospel reading for the week and explores how it speaks to life today. During the ten o'clock hour, students either worship with the congregation or support the liturgy directly through acolyting, reading, or greeting.
Youth Group and the Summer Mission Trip
On Sunday evenings, students in grades eight through twelve gather over dinner for fellowship, prayer, games, study, and food. The Youth Minister, Madelynn Roche, along with Ian Grant-Funck, organizes the gatherings. Each summer the parish also offers a week-long mission trip for high schoolers, partnering in recent years with the Appalachia Service Project.
Adults in Formation: The Sprig, Sunday Forum, and Weekly Groups
Adult formation reflects the parish's commitment to life-long learning. The Sunday Morning Forum meets at 9:00 AM between the two Eucharists and brings in speakers from inside and outside the congregation to discuss theology, spirituality, church history, interfaith issues, social-emotional concerns, and contemporary social topics. Series often align with seasons in the church calendar.
A weekly newsletter called The Sprig keeps parishioners informed of formation offerings. Regular adult activities include a Contemplative Prayer Group on Wednesdays at 10:00 AM and a Men's Discussion Group on Saturdays at 8:00 AM. Class materials, the Lectionary, and links to Daily Devotions are shared with parishioners each week.
Stephen Ministry: Walking Alongside in Difficult Seasons
For times when life feels heavier than usual, the parish offers Stephen Ministry, a confidential one-to-one Christian caregiving program. Stephen Ministers are parish members who have completed fifty hours of training in distinctly Christian care. They meet weekly with a care receiver, listen carefully, focus on that person's needs, and keep everything shared strictly confidential. They are not counselors or therapists and do not try to solve problems; they walk alongside. Care continues for as long as the need is there.
Anyone interested in receiving care, or in becoming a Stephen Minister, can reach out to Jean Britt, Stephen Leader Team Coordinator, at (847) 835-5150. The identity of care receivers and the content of each relationship remain private.
All Things Bright and Beautiful: A Preschool in Mission
For more than thirty years, the preschool at Holy Comforter has been a ministry of the parish. All Things Bright and Beautiful opened its doors in 1994 and supports the spiritual, social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth of students and their families. Faith is integrated naturally into classroom rhythms, while play and curiosity are treated as the engines of childhood and the foundation of life-long learning.
Programs
The school serves Toddlers, Two-Year-Olds, Three-Year-Olds, and a Junior Kindergarten class, with Extended Day Opportunities for families who need additional hours. Tuition includes incidental fees, a yard sign and car magnet for every family, and a red tote plus ATB&B gear for every student. The school year typically runs from the week of September 7 through the week of May 24.
Faculty and Director
Sarah Mohr became Director in June 2025. She holds a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College, a master's in Art History from UC Santa Barbara, and a teaching certification from Cal State Los Angeles, and previously served as Dean of Academics at Baker Demonstration School in Wilmette. She has lived in Kenilworth for almost fourteen years. The faculty includes Eleanor Bick, Margo Browne, Justine Cody, Maya Cornejo, Ania Czubin, Isabella Flowers, Jennifer McCarty, Gwen Oelerich, Natalie Pope, and Tria Thomas. Many teachers hold master's degrees in education and bring years of early-childhood experience into the classroom.
Summer Camp
An eight-week summer camp runs each year for children entering the three-year-old or Junior Kindergarten programs. The camp emphasizes outdoor play and field trips around town, with the 2027 season running Monday, June 7 through Thursday, July 29. Camp days run 9:00 AM to 12:15 PM, Monday through Thursday, with weekly and multi-week pricing options. Wednesday mornings include a partnership with the Kenilworth Park District EC campers called World Cup Wednesdays, combining crafts and movement games.
Parent Partnership
Parents are treated as partners in their child's education. Teachers communicate frequently, hold fall and spring conferences, and work with families on guidance issues. A Sunshine Committee brings parents together to organize social events, thank staff, and support families through major life events. Parents are also invited to volunteer as Room Parents, guest readers, or special visitors in classrooms. Tours are arranged individually through the director.
Serving the Wider Community
The parish takes its charge to serve the world seriously, framing outreach as good news that looks like food for the hungry, clothing for the needy, care for the weary, healing for the sick, and liberation to the oppressed.
Regular volunteer commitments include shifts at A Just Harvest Community Kitchen on the third Saturday of each month and evenings with CUMALI each Monday. The parish also takes one or two mission trips each summer. Collection drives fill Thanksgiving baskets with the Primo Center, hang a Christmas Jesse Tree with Holy Family School and Connections for the Homeless, and assemble Easter Baskets with ReVive Center for Housing and Healing.
Each year, the parish allocates fifty thousand dollars in grants to local organizations, with most grants falling between one thousand and five thousand dollars. Priority is given to organizations that are women-led or minority-led, and to those with active Holy Comforter parishioner involvement. Recent partners have included Bishop Anderson House, Breakthrough, Care for Friends, Family Matters, Holy Family Ministries, Josselyn Center, Refugee One, Renew, SamaraCare, St. Leonard's House, and many others. Most of the funding comes from the parish's Christmas and Easter collections.
Clergy, Staff, and Lay Leadership
The Rev. Heath Howe serves as Rector, with the Rev. Will Bouvel as Associate Rector. The Rev. Chris Hardman is Theologian-in-Residence, and the Rev. Larry Green serves as Deacon. Madelynn Roche is the Youth Minister, Ian Grant-Funck works closely with youth and formation, and Dr. Derek Nickels directs the music program. Ania Czubin teaches Children's Chapel, and Sarah Mohr directs the preschool.
The Vestry is led by Senior Warden Dick Morley and Junior Warden Pam Martin, with John Smart as Treasurer and Marc Franson as Chancellor. Other officers include Clerk Alec Dike and standing-committee chairs for Communications and Marketing, Formation, Member Engagement, Liturgy and Music, Fellowship, Buildings and Grounds, Outreach Mission, Outreach Resources, Ministry, and the annual Canvass.
Stewardship and the Generosity Campaign
The parish frames stewardship as the responsible care of time, talent, and treasure for Holy Comforter and the wider world. An annual Canvass invites pledges that fund ministry, outreach grants, formation, and operations. A separate Generosity Campaign supports additional capital and ministry priorities, with published campaign information and goals available to parishioners. Giving is available online through the parish's Realm giving page.