A Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of the Rev. Herbert (Bert) G. Draesel, Jr
Saturday, February 25, 2023
11:00 AM
Reception in Draesel Hall to follow
The Church of the Holy Trinity

Memorial gifts may be made to the The Church of the Holy Trinity Draesel Fund for the Restoration of the Church Bell Tower.

The parish mourns the death of the Rev. Herbert (Bert) G. Draesel, Jr., Rector Emeritus of the Church of the Holy Trinity, who died on January 14, 2023. He suffered a stroke just before Christmas, and eventually came home from the hospital last week for hospice care at home. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Ada, and his daughters Margaret and Irene, and their families. In addition to having been a spiritual father, mentor, and friend to parishioners, deacons, priests, and bishops, Bert always maintained strong friendships beyond the church, with people from all aspects of his life. A service of thanksgiving for his life and ministry will take place in the future.

Bert was ordained in 1964 at the House of Prayer, Newark, N.J., a place where he navigated the complicated 1960s dynamics of race, class, and economic injustice. He developed skills and abilities in Newark that he carried with him through a lifetime of ministry.  After serving as Curate and Rector of the House of Prayer, he was called as Rector of St. Mary the Virgin, Chappaqua, N.Y., where he built vibrant ministries of youth and families. Missing the challenges of urban ministry, in 1975, Bert became Rector of Grace Church, downtown White Plains, NY. There he began and nurtured programs for children, youth, the homeless, and older adults.

In 1984, Bert accepted the call as Rector of The Church of the Holy Trinity, where he remained for nineteen years. At Holy Trinity, he helped grow the parish in virtually every direction: financially, spiritually, programmatically, and musically. His personality deepened the parish’s founding D.N.A. as a community center- regardless of theological perspective, economic situation, race, class, gender, or sexual orientation. He helped to found Holy Trinity Neighborhood Center, Inc., the Draesel Fund for Children, and the Property Preservation Trust, which is the church’s small endowment for building preservation. Bert balanced the spiritual, pastoral, administrative, and programmatic aspects of ministry in ways that continue to astound his successors.

When Bert retired from Holy Trinity in 2003, he did so to spend more time with his beloved Ada, their family at the New Jersey Shore, and (in his spare time) to enroll in the Graduate Musical Theater Writer Program at New York University, continuing to write and produce musicals. His whole life, Bert followed God’s Spirit to develop his own particular blend of creativity and spirituality, which he shared freely and joyfully with all.