St. John's Episcopal Church
WELCOMES ALL
Serving the Community of Gloucester for Over 150 Years
FOR NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.
Luke 1:37
For 150 Years Saint John’s Episcopal Church has quietly glorified God by serving Gloucester and the surrounding area. As Episcopalians, we trace our identity back to the Roman Catholic Church, from which our spiritual ancestors were separated due to the politics of 16th-century England. Today, while our faith remains rooted in Scripture and the Creeds, we enjoy debating issues that lie beyond those core principles. At Saint John’s we are proud to welcome everyone to the fullness of sacramental worship and parish life.
We are also proud to glorify God with our beautiful services and with our many ministries to the community. We have lively programs for youth in both Cape Ann Choir School (program currently on hold) and Cape Ann Arts Alive (late August). And of course, children are welcome at all of our services. We have a Thrift Shop that sustains our other ministries while providing clothing and shoes for anyone in the Cape Ann community. We are always happy to partner with other organizations, such as AA and art classes, to host gatherings that support the community. The "in-person" events we once welcomed came to a halt during the time of Covid. We look forward to welcoming them back in the future: Our Place, Harvest Meals, Learn to Cope, Action, Inc., Sorellanza, the League of Women Voters, the Coalition to Prevent Domestic Abuse and others. We hope that we can once again open the Middle Street doors of our beautiful church on Monday through Thursday mornings, so that anyone who needs a moment of rest, prayer, or inspiration may find one “in the beauty of holiness.”
Please join us for worship at 9:30am on Sunday mornings. The church office is open Monday through Thursday, 9 am until noon. The sanctuary is open for prayer, meditation or reflection Monday through Thursday, 9 am until noon. For more information, please see our calendar. The Thrift Shop and Regal Rummage are open Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10 am until 2 pm.
MEET OUR STAFF
The Rev. LISE HILEBRANDT
Interim Priest
Email Pastor Lise
She/Her
Pastor Lise is a priest who is happiest living in and making connections between different disciplines and worlds, especially between our life with God and everything else. She is a musician, bread-baker, transportation cyclist, martial artist, and activist and serves as co-convener of the Creation Care Justice Network for the diocese. She received an MDiv from Yale and a Master’s of Public Health from BU. She has two delightful adult daughters and lives in a Quaker-based community in Arlington.
JOE
STODDARD
Music Director
Email Joe
Joe graduated from Oberlin in 1994 with a Bachelor of Music in music education, with organ as his principal instrument. He currently teaches music to grades 4-6 at Marblehead Public Schools. He was previously the organist and choir director at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Salem, Nahant Village Church (UCC) in Nahant, and most recently at UCC Burlington.
MARGE
BISHOP
Church Assistant
Email Marge
A life-long resident of Gloucester, MA, Marge worked as a salesperson at Woolworth’s in Gloucester from 1954-57. She was a Tupperware Manager for 15 years and in 1982 came to St. John’s to do some volunteer work, which, eventually turned into becoming a sexton, then administrator and now church assistant combined.
Her interests include God, Family, St. John’s Church and The Boston Bruins.
ELIZABETH
de VEER
Parish Administrator
Email Elizabeth
She/Her
Originally hailing from Arlington, Virginia, Elizabeth now lives in Georgetown. Hobbies include: reading with her grade-school age daughter, baking cookies, camping, and drinking coffee. She is also the author of the novel The Ocean in Winter. Assists the rector with administrative matters and maintains church accounts under the direction of the Treasurer.
MICHELE
Del VECCHIO
Thrift Shop Assistant
She/Her
I waltzed into St. John’s Thrift Store for a potato masher and I came out as My Girl Friday. I have mentioned in more than one (seventeen or so) conversations that I am in the right place at exactly the right time and delighted to be here. I have the gift of gab and the ladies have to rein me in sometimes. Last thing! If you want a story I have one.