Staff at Grace Church
Rev. Dr. Matthew Calkins, Rector
The Rev. Dr. Matthew Calkins first joined Grace Church as a lay member in 1991. The parish sponsored him for ordination and he left to attend seminary at Union Theological Seminary (M.Div. ’98). He was ordained as a priest following graduation and served parishes in Connecticut for 16 years. He earned a Doctor of Divinity degree from Hartford Seminary in 2011. In the fall of 2014, Fr. Matt was called as Rector of Grace Church. He is married to Mary Calkins, an art teacher, and has an adult son, Elias, who lives in NYC.
The Rev. Dr. Matthew Calkins first joined Grace Church as a lay member in 1991. The parish sponsored him for ordination and he left to attend seminary at Union Theological Seminary (M.Div. ’98). He was ordained as a priest following graduation and served parishes in Connecticut for 16 years. He earned a Doctor of Divinity degree from Hartford Seminary in 2011. In the fall of 2014, Fr. Matt was called as Rector of Grace Church. He is married to Mary Calkins, an art teacher, and has an adult son, Elias, who lives in NYC.
|
Rev. Alison Quin, Director of Formation
Rev. Alison Quin is the Director of Formation as well as the Director of Grace Year. Alison was ordained as an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Washington, D.C. in 2001. After serving several parishes there, she accepted a call to serve as rector of Christ the King in Stone Ridge, New York-- across the river from Millbrook in Ulster County. She retired from there in November 2019 after 12 years and moved to Rhinebeck, along with her husband of 37 years, Tim Sharpe. Prior to her life as a parish priest, she was a legal aid lawyer and represented poor people in civil cases such as domestic violence, landlord-tenant and consumer law. She also taught law as an adjunct professor at George Washington Law School, among others. Alison completed a two year program called the Clergy Leadership Project offered by Trinity Wall Street in 2012, as well as a yearlong spiritual director training program at Linwood Spiritual Center in Rhinebeck in 2018. |
|
Molly O'Neil Frank, Seminarian
Molly is a staff chaplain at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She completed her clinical pastoral education at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She was board certified by the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) in 2019 and is currently a postulant to become a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Molly holds a bachelor's degree in English from Wesleyan University in Connecticut and a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. While raising her children, she served on multiple arts and education boards, including Signature Theatre Company where she served as President. She is a member of the board of The Jed Foundation, dedicated to mental health and suicide prevention for college students. Molly serves on the ethics committees at MSKCC and at Weill-Cornell Medical Center and lives in New York City with her husband Lincoln. |
|
Suzanne McDonald, Director of Sacred Music
Suzanne's time at Grace began a few weeks before Covid. It has been an unusual year. Previous positions include assistant organist Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal, P.Q. Canada, and Director of Music, All Saints Church in Manhattan. She has degrees from McGill University and Boston Conservatory of Music ( M.M). She is the founder and director of the newly formed Baroque in Bushwick and Beyond. |
|
Heather Holohan-Guarnieri, Director of Children's Choir
|
|
Evelyn Garzetta, Director of Grace Immigrant Outreach
Evelyn is a parishioner at Grace Church and serves as the Co-Chairperson for the ‘Great Whale of a Rummage Sale', Chairperson of the Service Schedule for Sunday Ten O’clock Services, and Director of Grace Immigrant Outreach (GIO). A concerned and active resident of Millerton, Evelyn dedicates her time and efforts to community-minded boards, programs and projects. To contact Evelyn please call 917-705-9600. |
|
Deborah Coconis, Director of Millbrook Community Preschool
Miss Deborah has been on staff at MCP at Grace since 2008 and has been working with school-aged children in preschool, after-school programs, camps and workshops since 1994. She earned her B.A. in Theatre and Studio Arts from Roger Williams University. |
|
David Swift, Facilities Manager
|
|
Cindy Schmoke, Parish Secretary
Cindy started working at Grace Church as our Parish Secretary in 2016. She manages the office and is always willing to help and welcomes you to Grace Church with Zoe, Father Matt’s dog. She can be contacted by email at office@gracemillbrook.org Alex Freeman, Audio/Visual Technician Alex has been an active member and participant of Grace Church since 1999. He provides live streaming and recording, including sound and video, of church services and special events |
|
Zoë, Parish Dog
Zoë is a native of Dutchess County, where she was born in February of 2017 to her boxer father and her labrador retriever mother, Diesel and Daisy. She loves everyone and is loved by everyone. She has important duties, which include patrolling the grounds and licking people's legs. |
