Staff & Vestry of St Barnabas Episcopal Church - St. Barnabas’ Episcopal Church

The Kenn Katona, Rector

Born into a Roman Catholic family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, The Rev. Kenn Katona did not initially like attending church. At one point in his journey, he even made a deal with his parents that if he got confirmed, he could stop going to church. Fr. Kenn didn’t darken the doors of a church again until he was 19 years old. He had asked a girl out on a date and though she said yes, there was one condition. He would have to go to church with her first. This was Fr. Kenn’s first time attending an Episcopal church; and though things didn’t work out with the girl, the church would remain a permanent fixture in his life from that point forward.

Fr. Kenn says that, “The liturgy was familiar, so I was comfortable with that, but the church just had an excitement and this feeling of being alive that I had never experienced before.” Fr. Kenn decided to check things out further, eventually finding community and purpose within The Episcopal Church. A year later, he joined an ecumenical Christian missions organization which took him to Texas and Louisiana where he participated in short-term missions work in several towns and cities. Additionally, as a missionary, Fr. Kenn also spent two months in Mongolia volunteering in orphanages, working in soup kitchens, and working with music and drama teams at a local church. During his time in Mongolia, Fr. Kenn braved temperatures of negative 50 degrees and lived in a yurt which was a mile and a half up a snowy mountain where there was no running water. For this reason he is confident that he and his family will handle the winters in Delaware without a hitch.

Fr. Kenn is a graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), where he developed a love of church history, especially the history of the communities that produced the four gospels. He has been called a sparkplug for the church and hopes to energize, and communicate an exciting new perspective of what it means to build the kingdom of God in the 21st century.

Sister Cassandra Norsworthy, Pastoral Assistant

Sister Cassandra has been a member of the Anamchara Fellowship since 2004. At St. Barnabas’ she has a particular ministry to the sick and homebound. She is also a Stephen Minister Leader. Cassandra, a native of Virginia, has served in several leadership posts both in the Diocese of Southern Virginia and in the Diocese of New Jersey. She is retired from a varied secular career, including work as a paralegal in real estate title and escrow. She serves as Chaplain at St. Barnabas’ Episcopal Church and leads the Pastoral Care Group.

Michael Larkin, Director of Music Ministry

As Director of Music Ministry at St. Barnabas’, Dr. Larkin serves as church organist, directs the Chancel Choir, Renaissance Quire, and our new Hand Chime Choir. He also manages the church’s artist/concert series. “The Arts at St. Barnabas’.” During his 15-year tenure at St. Barnabas’, Dr. Larkin has expanded the repertoire of the choirs and congregation, greatly enhancing the worship experience. He often arranges and composes music especially for the St. Barnabas’ choirs and instrumentalists to perform in worship.

Dr. Larkin holds a Bachelor of Music degree in choral music education from the University of Delaware, a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from the Catholic University of America and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in music education with a concentration in choral conducting from Temple University. For 28 years Dr. Larkin served as chairperson of the Vocal/Choral Department and artist faculty voice teacher with distinction at the Music School of Delaware where he coordinated vocal/choral studies and taught studio and class voice, conducting and conducted the Select Choral Ensemble and the Delaware Youth Symphony Orchestra. He continues to serve as founder and music director of the New Ark Chorale and as conductor and music director the the Brandywine Pops Orchestra. He is in demand as a guest conductor, choral/vocal clinician, baritone soloist, and music festival clinician and adjudicator. Dr. Larkin has gained an international reputation as a composer with over 300 choral, vocal, piano, and orchestra compositions in print with most of the nation’s major publishing companies.

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Beth Winward, Parish Administrator

Since 2007, Beth Winward has been the Parish Administrator at St. Barnabas’. Beth is a native of Delaware, and the proud mother of two adult children. When she is not working for the parish, she enjoys traveling and the beach.

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Young Tyler, Sexton

Young has worked as the Sexton at St. Barnabas since 2008. Young is from Kunsan, South Korea. Young became a U.S. Citizen in 1984. Young was an integral part of the new office construction which was completed in 2009. Young has been happily married for 40 years and has two adult children and the grandmother to two grandchildren. Young enjoys traveling and gardening in her spare time.

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