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. |
Maureen Sarma, Director of Millbrook Community Preschool
Maureen has been connected to the preschool at Grace since enrolling her own children in the program. She was drawn to the warmth of the teaching staff, the dynamic curriculum, and the welcoming school community. Before stepping up as program director, Maureen worked for the Department of Education and Science in Ireland. As part of a national initiative to address early school leaving, she worked closely with families and communities in Dublin to develop and steer programs to support children from elementary to high school school. Maureen believes in nurturing joy and excellence in early education, and is proud of the unique program at Grace. |
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 [email protected] 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 |