Welcome Reverend Rachel Thomas as Interim Rector of Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in Mystic, Connecticut!

Reverend Rachel Thomas came to St. Mark's Church on September 1, 2012 after serving as Interim at St. David's Episcopal Church in Gales Ferry.

All of us at St. Mark's welcome Rev. Thomas as she helps us through this time of transition.

Rev. Thomas has celebrated Eucharist with us at St. Mark's on occasion when our previous Rector was unavailable. We enjoy her sermons, especially because they show her sense of humor while delivering important messages.

A little about Rev. Rachel Thomas

Rev. Rachel studied at the College of William & Mary (Virginia), Wheaton Graduate School (Illinois), Yale / Berkeley Divinity School, and Hartford Seminary.

In addition to having been Interim Rector at St. David's in Gales Ferry, Rev. Rachel has worked at a number of churches: The Episcopal Church at Yale, Middlesex Area Cluster Ministry (four Episcopal churches sharing resources in Middlesex County, Connecticut), St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, East Haddam, CT. Her other ecclesiastical ventures have taken her to Incarnation Center and a Christian Ministry in the National Parks.

In the secular world, Rev. Rachel was employed at Yavapai Lodge (in the Grand Canyon), the Civil Aeronautics Board, and on the Wheaton grounds crew.

Since 1983, Connecticut has been home to Rev. Rachel. Before her the move to the Nutmeg State, she lived in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Illinois, Wisconsin, Arizona, France, and New York City.

Some of Rev. Rachel's favorite activities include swimming, walking Coleman (her family dog), riding a bike, traveling, preaching, praying, organizing things, asking questions. (And we bet that Rev. Rachel is going to be asking [and answering!] a lot of questions during her time at St. Mark's!)

Eric Thomas, Rev. Rachel's husband, is the most patient person in her life, she claims. Everyone at St. Mark's who has met him has liked him and enjoyed his sense of humor.

In her own words ....

When Rev. Rachel was asked to tell us about herself she kindly provided all of the above details. In addition, she said

I saw that Fr. Mark had a poem on your website, and I thought, "Yikes, I'm not a poet." And then I remembered the words in the letter to the church in Ephesus: "For we are what God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life." (Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 10) The Greek for "we are what God has made us" is the same word as "poem."

We are, each of us, a poem from God, to live in a way that honors God in love for all.

I look forward to seeing the poetry of your lives. Thank you for the privilege of being your Interim Rector. May God create wonderful works for us to walk in.

We are grateful to have Reverend Rachel Thomas join us on our journey to "seek and serve Christ in all persons".

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For 19 years the Reverend Mark A. Santucci served as rector of Saint Mark's Episcopal Church. Father Mark retired in July of 2012. In honor of Fr. Mark's years of faithful service we offer to you his poem:

Altar, Church and Town

by Fr. Mark Santucci

On knee, with hand and lips and heart I reach
To know that presence where my soul can rest.
I seek your love, my feeble love to teach,
That serving you with praise I am my best.

With hand in hand and arm in arm we plead
That you, O Lord, might show us how to pray
Not only with our word but with our deed
'Til through our service Gospel truth we say.

The avenues and streets of life are full
Of chances for my serving heart to grow
In loving you, my God, and others well
That they and I your love might better know.

At altar, church and town, Lord come to me,
And give me grace to serve you in all three.

Mark Santucci
Lent 1997

      Page version 6.01     28 April 2013