Introducing Our New Intern for Ordination

Community

My name is Darryl C. Burke, I was born in Brooklyn, New York, and my family attended St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church. My family relocated to Hartford when my father answered the call to become vicar of St. Monica’s Episcopal Church in Hartford, shortly before I entered high school (I attended Weaver High School and Watkinson School.) I graduated from Swarthmore College with majors in Psychology and English, with concentrations in Black Studies and Education. I received my M. Ed from Harvard University with concentrations in Administration, Planning and Social Policy, and Teaching Curriculum and Learning Environments. I have also completed additional coursework at the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, The University of Connecticut, Washington University, and Hartford Seminary.

Professionally, I have served as a teacher and administrator in the Hartford Public School System. During my tenure with the school system I served as an English teacher, Assistant Principal, and Principal at Weaver High School, and Bulkeley High School. Recognizing the dearth of role models for many of the students, I was able to serve as a positive Black male role model and assist in helping them recognize that life offered a plethora of opportunities outside of their communities, which could serve as a means of enabling them to “give back” to their communities. More importantly, I sought to instill in them an understanding of their moral responsibility and obligation to use their educations as a means of ameliorating the conditions of all people. Until my retirement in 2015, this had been both my avocation and my vocation. Additionally, this was ministry, of sorts; it was a vehicle for assisting young people in recognizing the importance and power of education as a tool for garnering a foundation that would enable them to viably compete in mainstream society.

I am a member of the Beta Sigma Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the Beta Iota Boule of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. I have served in a variety of leadership positions, including President, of each of these organizations. I have also been a member of the DuBois Society and am a former President of the organization, as well. I have served on the boards of the Blue Hills Civic Association, the Glastonbury ABC House, and the Upper Albany Neighborhood Collaborative, among others. I have received a number of awards from a variety of community organizations, including the “Innovative Leadership” Award from the Blue Hills Civic Association, and the State of Connecticut’s “CHRO Edythe P. Gaines Excellence in Education Award”. I have received proclamations from both the City of Hartford and the State of Connecticut in recognition of these efforts.

I have been a member of St. Monica’s Episcopal Church for over forty years, and have served in a variety of capacities. I have served as the advisor for the Young People’s Fellowship, Coordinator of the Acolytes, and Director of the Brotherhood of Saint Andrew, Vestry, and Search Committee. I am currently the Vice President of the State Brotherhood of St. Andrew, and serve as a Lay Eucharistic Minister and Adult Bible Study Facilitator. I am currently a postulant for the priesthood within the Episcopal Church of Connecticut, and prayerfully will complete this journey in the near future. I am divorced and the father of two adult sons who have blessed me with six grandchildren.

Mr. Darryl Burke

Mr. Darryl Burke came to St. James's in 2017 to serve as a diocesan intern. He has served in the Hartford Public School System as a teacher and administrator, seeking to serve as a positive black male role model for his students. A member of St. Monica's Episcopal Church for over forty years, he has served as the advisor for the Young People’s Fellowship, Coordinator of the Acolytes, and Director of the Brotherhood of Saint Andrew, Vestry, and Search Committee. I am currently the Vice President of the State Brotherhood of St. Andrew, and serve as a Lay Eucharistic Minister and Adult Bible Study Facilitator.