ECS honors the memory of the Rev. Canon Emily Barr Richards, who passed away on January 16, 2024. Emily served as Priest-in-Charge at the historic parish of St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, Whitemarsh, and on the Board of Trustees at ECS.
She is remembered as someone dedicated to radical hospitality, a way of being exemplified in her ministry, and in the way she engaged participants in ECS programming. Emily lived a life of service in contributing to ECS' Advocacy Committee, and serving as Dean of the Montgomery Deanery, member of the Cathedral Chapter, and as delegate to the Episcopal General Convention.
Instead of flowers in her memory, Emily requested donations be sent to support the work of Episcopal Community Services (225 S. 3rd Street, Phila. PA 19106); the Saint James School (3217 W. Clearfield Street, Phila. PA 19132); and St. Thomas' Episcopal Church (7020 Camp Hill Road, Fort Washington, PA 19034).