Rector | 203.966.4515 x101
Peter has been the Rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in New Canaan, Connecticut since 2008. Previously, he served as Rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church and Day School in Phoenix, Arizona; Associate Rector of St. Pauls’ Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio; and Chaplain at the Kent School, where he coached varsity soccer, junior varsity basketball, and thirds baseball. Before entering the clergy he worked in corporate finance at Kidder, Peabody and as an account executive at Geer, DuBois Advertising, both in New York City. He also worked as a bus boy. Peter grew up in Delmar, New York, a small town outside of Albany. He graduated from the Hotchkiss School, Harvard College, and Yale Divinity School. In his earlier years, at varying times, he wanted to be a professional baseball player, professional basketball player, professional soccer player (goalkeeper), hoped to write the great American novel, be a metaphysical philosopher, a rich Wall Street economist, and a monk. None of that came to pass. Last fall he went on life-renewing sabbatical in France, Italy and South Africa and in the spring led a pilgrimage to Israel, Palestine, and Jordan and then visited with his son in Beirut, Lebanon. He is currently working on developing yoga as a form of Christian prayer. Peter is married to Jennifer White Walsh and has five grown children: Sam, Ben, Olivia, Gus, and Phineas. Peter and Jennifer celebrated their 30th Anniversary last fall while in Rome.
Senior Associate Rector | 203.966.4515 x102
Elizabeth joined the clergy staff in September 2018. A native of Colorado, Elizabeth lived in New York for almost 25 years working as a journalist at George and Travel + Leisure magazines before earning a Master of Divinity degree at Yale. She was ordained to the priesthood in the diocese of New York in 2006 and went on to serve as an Associate Rector at both St. Bartholomew’s Church and the Church of the Heavenly Rest, and as Chaplain and Religion Teacher at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s Episcopal School. Elizabeth swims, bikes, runs, and is learning to play the banjo. She strives to read and write regularly, and to keep pace with her 6 year-old son, Charlie. She has a degree in history from the University of Colorado and, long ago, she studied spanish in Costa Rica, archeology in Wales, and the European Union at the Sciences Po in Paris. She stayed for a couple of years in France where she got her start in journalism at the Associated Press. She and Charlie love filling their bird feeders and hanging out with their two cats when Charlie isn’t busy messing with lawn care tools and inventing new gizmos. After the wisdom of Jesus, she says the next best advice in life comes from her mother, “Just do the next right thing.”
Associate Rector | 203.966.4515 x105
John came to St. Mark’s as an Associate Rector on Palm Sunday, 2023. Previously, he served at St. Paul’s in Cleveland Heights, Ohio and at Kent School in Connecticut. He was ordained to the priesthood in February 2020, and was sponsored for ordination by St. Mark’s.
Before attending seminary at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, John served in youth ministry here at St. Mark’s. He also worked in the world of music and advertising in New York City. He holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Contemporary Writing and Production from Berklee College of Music in Boston.
John has an abiding love for the spiritual life and the St. Mark’s mission of making disciples who live a deeper life in Christ, a more holy communion with one another, and a greater love for the world. John also loves music, playing guitar, movies, meditation, yoga, practicing the Wim Hof Method, attempting to improve his golf game, hiking, and spending time with friends and family. He was born on Long Island and raised in New Canaan. John’s wife, Emma, is an Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics at Villanova University. They were married at St. Mark’s in June, 2023.