Trinity Leadership
Meet our rector and members of the staff.
The Rev. Cass Bailey
Rector
You may call me Pastor Cass. I was called to serve at Trinity in 2010 from St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Kailua, Hawaii, where I had been the Rector since 1998. In my 12 years there, I oversaw a doubling of membership and an expansion of ministry to include a homeless shelter and a children’s community chorus. I’m pleased to say that the model of spiritual formation we used for developing Christians became the model for the Diocese of Hawaii. I have also served parishes in Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut.
I completed my undergraduate education at Amherst College in Massachusetts and graduated from the Berkeley Divinity School and Yale Divinity School at Yale University. I also hold a certificate in advanced church leadership from Asbury Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky.
My wife, Patricia, completed her undergraduate education as well as a graduate degree in nursing at the University of Virginia. Tish also has a master’s degree in public health and a doctorate in clinical psychology. We have four adopted children (two daughters and two sons), and you will also find our grandson, and maybe one or two foster children, living with us from time to time.
Daniel Brinson
Music Minister
I have been the Minister of Music at Trinity since June 2022. It is such a joy to make music with this congregation and be part of this wonderful community! I love the collaborative spirit of Trinity and the openness to learning music in many different styles. I am especially interested in global music, paperless music, and ways to incorporate improvisation and percussion into our worship.
I have been involved in church music my entire life, starting with the children’s choir, later working toward music degrees at Oberlin College and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, and now having served at three Episcopal churches in Virginia. Outside of my job, I find joy in practicing meditation and centering prayer, I am active in the Hymn Society of America, and I enjoy running and reading.
I live in Charlottesville with my wife, Laura (a physician at the UVA hospital), our two children and two rabbits. We are enthusiastic about hiking, exploring our beautiful area, playing games and trying new recipes together. On weekends you might find us working in the Trinity garden with Bread & Roses (where our two bunnies are also generous contributors!).
The Rev. Carol Carruthers Sims
Priest Associate
My faith has always been central in my life. My love of the Lord and belief in the teachings of Scripture have seen me though many health challenges and personal transitions. After many years as a psychotherapist, I discerned a clear call to move to Montana, to heal and follow the Lord. It was in Big Sky country where I heard the call to ministry, and I was ordained in 1997. I served two churches in Montana, five years each. Both positions were part-time, so I continued my counseling practice, along with work as a hospice chaplain, a volunteer at a family cancer camp, a brief stint as a juvenile probation officer, and a wrangler for two ranches. It was quite a challenging and most interesting 15 years.
Then I moved from the mountains to the seashore of Virginia Beach to care for my oldest sister with end stage cancer. I served part-time at her church, Galilee Episcopal, until her death 10 months later. I then became an assistant priest at Epiphany Church in Norfolk and served as clinical director of the in-patient crisis center in Virginia Beach. One of my three daughters in Charlottesville, my native home, had a pending health issue, so home I came.
Once settled here as a clinician, I was called to serve as Priest Associate (retired priest status) at Grace Episcopal in Keswick. After five years I thought I about retiring (again!) before I decided to come to Trinity, where my passion and longtime work for racial equality and justice found a home. When not at church I can be found with my daughters and their families, in the yard working away, at my counseling practice, attending social justice meetings or enjoying time with friends.