Father Alexander has been Rector of S. Stephen’s since August of 2000. Born in 1958 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, he immigrated in 1963 to the United States with his family, eventually settling in the Philadelphia area. He received his BA (Phi Beta Kappa) in 1979, and his MA in 1980, from the Johns Hopkins University, where he studied International Relations. During the 1980s, he worked for Electronic Data Systems Corporation on assignments in the United States and in England, where he met and married his wife, Elizabeth, in 1988. Subsequently, he attended Virginia Theological Seminary, where he received his Master in Divinity (M.Div.) in 1992. Ordained deacon in 1992 and priest in 1993, he served as Curate at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, Pennsylvania (1992-1994), and as Rector of the Church of the Ascension, Staten Island, New York (1994-2000). He completed his Master of Sacred Theology (STM) at Nashotah House in 2004. Father and Mrs. Alexander are the parents of two teenage sons.
Organist and choirmaster since 1994, James Busby is a native of Jacksonville, Florida, and an alumnus of the New England Conservatory. He studied piano with Julius Chaloff and Kyriena Siloti, and organ with George Faxon and Max Miller. He later studied with noted vocal coaches Felix Wolfes and Olga Averino, and conductor John Moriarty. He has worked with many conductors including Sarah Caldwell, Thomas Dunn, Erich Leinsdorf, and Arthur Fiedler. In addition to accompanying some of New England’s finest voices, James' recent performances include appearances with singers at Seiji Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood, and Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, where he performed song cycles by Ned Rorem and Scott Wheeler, with the composers in attendance. Other appearances include recitals in England, Switzerland, and Germany, as well as broadcasts for The Voice of America. James has performed at conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society. He is heard frequently on WGBH radio, at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Newport Music Festival, and under the auspices of the Sears-Roebuck Affiliate Artist Program.
The Rev'd Michael Tuck
Michael was born in 1977 and raised in Norwood, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. He attended Brown University and was awarded an A.B. with concentrations in Medieval Studies (Honors) and Mathematics. After university, Michael returned to Philadelphia and worked as a human resources consultant for the Hay Group. He trained for orders at the College of the Resurrection in Mirfield, UK and was made deacon in July 2009. He is currently completing his M.A. in theology. In addition to his role as curate at S. Stephen’s, Michael is the Episcopal Campus Minister to the Brown-RISD community. Michael is married to Annemarie Haftl, and they have two children.
The Rev'd Peter D'Alesandre
Father Peter J. D'Alesandre is a graduate of Nashotah House. After 33 years of Pastoral Ministry, he retired from pastoral work and teaching, ending in Taiwan. He has taught Church History, Philosophy, and Pre-school English as a Foreign Language. He retired from the Far East to settle in the Far West (Chepachet,RI -better known to Rhode Islanders as "Connecticut"). He usually celebrates one of the weekday Masses and is also the Vicar of Grace Church in Yantic, Connecticut.
The Rev'd Harrington Gordon
Besides his priestly duties Fr. Gordon is a talented cabinet maker, and can be seen around the church now and then with his hammer and screwdriver. Though retired, Fr. Gordon is happy to assist with the Mass and says it is his pleasure to be able to serve.
Cory MacLean, Parish Secretary, has been at S. Stephen’s Church in one capacity or another for almost twenty years. She’s sung in the Schola Cantorum under three choir masters, was married here, her two little daughters were baptized here, and she works here with her husband, George, as co-sexton. Versatile Cory sings soprano or alto depending on the need. She has a degree in music performance from Hartwick College in NY, has worked at Brown University in graphic services and Dean’s Offices. But she says her “best job ever” is full-time mom. “My loves, other than family, are music, photography, reading, and gardening—and S. Stephen's, in spite of my much-loved Presbyterian upbringing.”
Bruce Lennihan Christopher Whittingham Susan Brazil Beverly Myers Simon Newby Robert Rose
Rhoda Steinhart
Richard Noble, Senior Warden Tom Bledsoe, Junior Warden
Brian Ehlers, Treasurer Phoebe Pettingell, Clerk
Brian Ehlers began attending S. Stephen's in 1978 and was confirmed by Bishop Hunt in 1982. After a period of living in Boston and attending the Church of the Advent, he moved to North Scituate, RI and transferred back to S. Stephen's eleven years ago. He retired from Sensors and Controls Group, Texas Instruments, Attleboro, Massachusetts in April 2001. "I now have more time to give to S. Stephen's," he says. He has been Treasurer of the Corporation since 1997.
Tom Bledsoe began attending S. Stephen's in 1989 when his wife Cathy started singing in the choir. All three of his children have been baptized at S. Stephen's. He has been on the Vestry and has served as Junior Warden for the last several years. In addition to co-chairing the annual Stewardship
drive (with Cathy), he coordinates S. Stephen's participation in the
Epiphany Soup Kitchen in South Providence and recently joined their board.
He is a physician and faculty member of Brown Medical School, where he
teaches medical ethics.
Phoebe Pettingell is a writer and literary critic who has devoted her life to the Church. She is the secretary of the "Our Lady of Providence" ward of The Society of Mary, and currently as Clerk of the Vestry.
Richard Noble, with his wife Robyn, moved to Providence in 1990 when Richard was hired as a rare book librarian at Brown. They went to S. Stephen's on their first Sunday in town (3 Sept. 1990). Since then both Richard and Robyn have served on the Vestry and Richard has served regularly at the altar and at daily masses on Thursdays, mostly. Richard still works in the same office in the John Hay Library; Robyn teaches Kindergarten at the Martin Luther King School; and thjeir son, Philip, born in 1995, is a seventh-grader at the Paul Cuffee School.
John McGlashan takes care of the income side of the bookkeeping. Before his retirement in 2002 he was a machine designer/mechanical engineer. He is an active member of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Central Falls, RI and has been so since the early 1960’s. While at St. George’s he served on the Vestry and as Junior Warden. He also served as Parish Treasurer and Bookkeeper for twelve years. John and his wife have two daughters and one grandchild.
Ty Creason is Sacristan at S. Stephen's Church. He has also been with the Diocese of Rhode Island for 5 years and is involved in the administrative portions of the ministry of the Diocesan office. He has oversight of the program areas of Christian Formation, the Episcopal Camp and Conference Center, and Hispanic Ministry. Ty is also involved in Young Adult and Campus Ministry, and coordinates the Taizé ministry of the Diocese, leading the Cathedral Taizé service and the pilgrimage for young adults. As Bishop's chaplain, Ty coordinates visitations, confirmations and other Diocesan liturgies. He trained as a contemplative monk with the order of Julian of Norwich for two years and has remained affiliated with the order since. He did his undergraduate work in sociology, with graduate studies in business administration, counseling, and theology. In a previous life, Ty worked in mental health as a clinician and clinical manager. He is a fan of the New England Revolution (football) and the Patriots (American football). Ty loves to travel and recently took up sea kayaking. He has two cats, Margaret and Hilda.
Christopher R. Whittingham lives in Providence with his wife of twenty-three years, Jean Nicolazzo, who works in publishing in Boston, and their two children: Charlotte, age fifteen and Nicholas Whittingham, age thirteen. The family attends the 8:00 am service on Sundays. He has been a lawyer for twenty-seven years, and has managed the legal aid office in New Bedford, Massachusetts for over twenty years. “Here at St. Stephens, I love the richness of the liturgy, the faithfulness of its people, the quality of the preaching, and the emphasis on the eucharist.”
Beverly Myers joined S. Stephen's Church in August 1979. From 1989 to 1992, she was president of the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) and subsequently on the Vestry. For fourteen years she was a member and leader (with Len Gaucher) of the Julian Gathering, a silent prayer grouip. Over the years she has been on many silent retreats. Since 2001 she has contributed a book review column regularly to The S. Stephen and is a member ofthe Society of Mary. A physician, she was on the Brown clinical faculty and now practices child and adult psychiatry part time in Warwick and has a special interest in developmentally challenged children and adults.
Rhoda Steinhart moved to Providence, from New York City, in September 1995. She first visited S Stephen’s on All Saints Day, and transferred into the parish in December. After living in Scituate, MA for two years, and attending St John’s, Hingham, MA, she returned to Little Compton and S Stephen’s in 2002. She has been a Vestry member since October 2008. She has served regularly at the Altar at Solemn High Mass and weekday Low Mass. She has a BA in history and politics, an MA in international relations, and four years of coursework in chemistry (pharmacology). Before her retirement in 2003, she was research manager at the Neurosurgery Foundation in Providence.
Susan Brazil was christened at S. Stephen's Church in 1960. She also received her First Communion and was confirmed here. She received her BS degree from RI College in business management in 1980, got her paralegal certificate in 1981, and a law degree from Southern New England School of Law in 1991. She has been with the RI Attorney Generals Office since September 1982. She is an administrative paralegal in the Juvenile Prosecution Unit, on the Board of Directors for the Paralegal program at Roger Willilams University, and is published in the National Paralegal Reporter magazine.
Simon Newby visited S. Stephen's for the first time in 1991, becoming a member in 1995. He was actively involved on the Buildings and Grounds Committee for several years, served as Chairman of that committee for five years, a for two terms as a Vestryman. Involved in the construction industry for the past thirty years, he is currently employed by Troy City Woodwork operating out of Fall River, Massachusetts, engaged chiefly in the manuracture of bespoke residential cabinetry. He attempts to maintain physical fitness on the squash court and golf course and given the opportunity, enjoys returning home to England with his adult son and daughter to visit family and old friends.
Bruce Lennihan joined St. Stephens in the fall of 1981 after having moved to Wrentham MA from Houston Texas where he heard about St. Stephens from the Rector of the church he was attending. Married for nearly 40 years and has two married daughters and three grandchildren. Retired from Global Companies LLC in 2008 where he was the Chartering Manager since 1984. The job primarily included chartering oil tankers to bring petroleum products into New England from other countries. Has been Lead Usher at St. Stephens for 15 years and recently became a member of the Board of Governors for the Epiphany Soup Kitchen.
