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A sexton is an
officer of a
church, congregation, or
synagogue
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
charged with the maintenance of its buildings and/or an associated
graveyard. In smaller places of worship, this office is often combined with that of
verger. Larger establishments, such as
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
s, may employ a team of sextons.
Historically in North America and the United Kingdom the "sexton" was sometimes a minor municipal official responsible for overseeing the town graveyard. In the United Kingdom the position still exists today, related to management of the community's graveyard, with such sextons usually employed by the town/parish or community council.
Origin of the name
The words "sexton" and "
sacristan" both derive from the
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. It was also the administrative language in the former Western Roman Empire, Roman Provinces of Mauretania, Numidi ...
word ''sacristanus'' meaning "custodian of sacred objects". "Sexton" represents the popular development of the word via the
Old French
Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th
Duties
Among the traditional duties of the sexton in small parishes was the digging of graves—the gravedigger in ''Hamlet">The Gravediggers">gravedigger in ''Hamlet'' refers to himself as sexton, for example. In modern times, grave digging and maintenance of the cemetery is usually done by an outside contractor. The general duties of a modern sexton may include:
(heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) units, hot water systems, kitchen equipment,
electrical system, and
Electrical wiring">electrical system, and piping systems (i.e., gas, water, Active fire protection">fire protection
Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially Conflagration, destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, Compartmentalization (fire protection), compartmentalisation, suppression and inve ...
, and sewerage">sewer systems).
* Liaison with any routine contract maintenance and supply companies (regarding: large maintenance projects, fire protection equipment, pest control, kitchen and worship materials, etc.)
* Ordering and receiving supplies and equipment.
* Stocking supplies (paper towels, toilet paper, soap, etc.)
* Tasks involving security (locking doors, operating security system, etc.), and safety (emergency light/exit sign testing, first aid kit maintenance, etc.).
* Logistics for regular services and events on church calendar (chairs and tables, decorating, lighting, acoustics, audio and video, etc.).
* Emergency response during bad weather.
* Small building repairs (painting, drywall/plaster work, replacing ceiling tiles, etc.).
* Maintaining the grounds (grass mowing, hedge/shrub trimming and tree pruning, weed control, watering plants, snow removal, fall clean up, and other
landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following:
# Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...
work).
* Regular cleaning (vacuuming, dusting, sweeping, mopping, etc.)
* Other maintenance tasks not handled by a contract service or church volunteers, such as: the replacement of light bulbs, returning premises to a neat and orderly state following services and events, disposal of trash (rubbish), running any local errands or trips that are needed by the church, and other miscellaneous tasks.
* Following building code.
* Report to supervisors (about tasks completion, mishaps, etc.).
In many UK churches nowadays, where neither a sexton nor a
verger is employed, these duties are likely to fall to the
churchwardens.
See also
*
Gabbai
*
Robert Newman (sexton)
References
{{reflist, 30em
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations
Local Christian church officials
Ecclesiastical titles