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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
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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
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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:
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Liaison with any routine contract maintenance and supply companies (regarding: large maintenance projects, fire protection equipment, pest control, kitchen and worship materials, etc.)
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Maintaining the grounds (grass mowing, hedge/shrub trimming and tree pruning, weed control, watering plants, snow removal, fall clean up, and other
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Logistics for regular services and events on church calendar (chairs and tables, decorating, lighting, acoustics, audio and video, etc.).
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meaning "custodian of sacred objects". "Sexton" represents the popular development of the word via the
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Among the traditional duties of the sexton in small parishes was the digging of graves—the
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175:(heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) units, hot water systems, kitchen equipment,
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Small building repairs (painting, drywall/plaster work, replacing ceiling tiles, etc.).
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Tasks involving security (locking doors, operating security system, etc.), and safety (
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Operation and maintenance of mechanical systems, such as: refrigerators, boilers,
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113:. In smaller places of worship, this office is often combined with that of
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charged with the maintenance of its buildings and/or an associated
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311:"The Episcopal Diocese of California Employment Opportunities"
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Report to supervisors (about tasks completion, mishaps, etc.).
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Regular cleaning (vacuuming, dusting, sweeping, mopping, etc.)
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Rotas, Rules and
Rectors – How to Thrive being a Churchwarden
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In many UK churches nowadays, where neither a sexton nor a
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Stocking supplies (paper towels, toilet paper, soap, etc.)
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Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations
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illustration: "The Goblin and the sexton" (published in
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is employed, these duties are likely to fall to the
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433:"Dictionary of Occupational Titles, Fourth Edition"
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197:Ordering and receiving supplies and equipment.
211:testing, first aid kit maintenance, etc.).
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217:Emergency response during bad weather.
125:the town/parish or community council.
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457:. London: Matador. pp. 12–14.
361:"Ferryhill Council job description"
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336:"Falmouth Town Council staff list"
66:Church, congregation, or synagogue
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117:. Larger establishments, such as
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435:. U.S. Department of Labor. 1991
121:, may employ a team of sextons.
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420:Hamlet by William Shakespeare
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313:. 2007-11-19. Archived from
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286:"St Thomas' Church History"
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183:systems (i.e., gas, water,
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453:Clements, Matthew (2018).
234:other miscellaneous tasks.
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391:Oxford English Dictionary
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237:Following building code.
133:The words "sexton" and "
137:" both derive from the
267:Robert Newman (sexton)
494:Ecclesiastical titles
32:Hablot Knight Browne
422:Accessed 2007-12-04
105:, congregation, or
37:The Pickwick Papers
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418:Project Gutenberg
129:Origin of the name
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464:978-1-78901-631-4
177:electrical system
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77:Related jobs
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225:landscaping
159:gravedigger
143:sacristanus
71:Description
478:Categories
439:2007-12-04
407:segerstein
377:2009-06-26
346:2009-06-26
321:2007-12-04
296:2007-12-04
273:References
147:Old French
119:cathedrals
87:See also:
46:Occupation
403:sacristan
209:exit sign
191:systems).
135:sacristan
111:graveyard
107:synagogue
89:Sacristan
81:Sacristan
256:See also
399:sacrist
393:, s.v.
99:officer
56:Officer
40:, 1837)
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395:sexton
262:Gabbai
246:verger
227:work).
187:, and
181:piping
179:, and
164:Hamlet
153:Duties
115:verger
103:church
97:is an
95:sexton
20:Sexton
371:(PDF)
364:(PDF)
189:sewer
141:word
101:of a
459:ISBN
173:HVAC
161:in
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93:A
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