From Mississippi-The Rev. James "Bo" Roberts oversaw the rebuilding of his church and congregation from two major hurricanes.
Just four months after Roberts became rector of St. Mark's Episcopal, the church was knocked off its foundation by Hurricane Camille. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina, destroyed the building.
Wednesday was Roberts' first day of retirement after 44 years as pastor.
"Two times, he put the church on his back and carried it," said John Harral about the rector's determination in getting the church rebuilt after the hurricanes.
Harral said Roberts has increased membership 800 percent over the years.
"It is impossible to overstate the importance Bo has had in the history of St. Mark's Episcopal," he said.
Patti Sneed, who served as organist from 1973 to 2009, described Roberts as nearly omniscient when it came to keeping track of his flock. She said members could ask him anything, from the status of a sick friend to where to find the church vacuum cleaner, and he always knew the answer.
Sneed said Roberts was always the "go to" guy but there was one challenge that always confounded him. Despite being punctual to a fault, he could never seem to get the 9:30 a.m. service to start on-time.
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http://www.sunherald.com/2013/05/01/4635621/gulfport-priest-retires-after.html#storylink=cpy
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