Father Chris joined St Mary’s in 2022 after serving at Grace Church Brooklyn Heights. A former musician and journalist for The New York Times, his passions include Christian formation for all ages, the church’s role in reconciliation across difference, and Anglican liturgy and music. He is married to Julie Bleha, and they are the parents of two teenage boys, Thaddeus and Callum. Father Chris’ sermons can be found here.
Rev. Connie Lorenz began her ministry with St Mary’s in 2025. A graduate of The George Mercer School of Theology, she was ordained to the permanent Diaconate in 1997 and served for many years in the Diocese of Long Island before transferring to the Diocese of New York in 2024. Deacon Connie and her husband, Les, live in Ossining. They have two children who are married and two grandchildren. She brings to St Mary’s a wide range of gifts and is a wonderful addition to our parish family.
Born and raised in Belarus, Alexandra has an extensive professional background as a church musician as well as a concert pianist, and holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. She is also an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University, where she works with student choirs. In addition to overseeing the adult choir at St. Mary’s, Alexandra has recently started a children’s choir, and encourages anyone interested in sharing their musical talents to contact her directly. Alexandra lives in Yorktown Heights with her husband and three young daughters.
Joanne serves as Christian Education Director at St. Mary’s and leads our Sunday School programming. Her previous teaching experience includes grade-school classes at St. Stephen’s and the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, and teen classes at the Church of the Advent.
Music first brought Laurane to St Mary’s, where she now serves as our Parish Administrator. Laurane’s background is in literature and the visual arts, and she has discovered in Father Chris shared interests in early church history, philosophy, and the poetic and spiritual aspects of scripture that inform our daily lives. Laurane feels blessed to work in a magnificent setting in the service of exceptional people, whose faith and dedication have enriched her quest for beauty in all things.
Durrie Golding and Camilla Calhoun, Wardens
David Aplin, Cindy Forrest, Christian Hakim, Rich Juzumas, Alex Lange, Kelly Leonard O’Keefe, Dina Painter, Janet Priscantelli and Rick Romeo
The Rev. Chris Lee, Rector
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin was built in 1904 “to the glory of God as a votive offering for the union of Christendom and in precious memory of Muriel Morton Clendenin,” Horace Greeley’s granddaughter, by her parents, the Reverend Frank M. Clendenin and Gabrielle Greeley Clendenin. The church is modeled on a 15th-century church in Monken Hadley, England; an ancient window from that church is featured in our northern transept.
We are a Eucharist-centered parish, strengthened by the shared celebration of Holy Communion, testimony to the real presence of Christ in our lives. We seek to follow Christ in loving others and praticing unconditional compassion for our neighbors and all of creation.
Children are an important part of our parish life. We offer special family-friendly events throughout the year including a Blessing of the Animals, Christmas pageant, and Easter Egg Hunt in addition to weekly Sunday School and childcare. Youth are welcome to participate in our liturgy, enroll in our Confirmation classes and volunteer in outreach activities throughout the year.
Our community has many opportunities to gather throughout the year, including our annual Auction Dinner, Christmas Pageant, and Souper Bowl Sunday. Every June, our Great Lawn is transformed for our annual Strawberry Festival, a parish tradition since 1938 and Westchester’s longest running festival.
If you would like information on renting our Parish Hall or grounds for a private event, please contact our Parish Administrator. For weddings, baptisms and funerals you may also contact Father Chris directly.
