Introducing St. Mark's New Priest-in-Charge
Dear People of St. Mark's,
We are privileged to announce that the Reverend Anne Marie Witchger has accepted our offer of the position of Priest-in-Charge at St. Mark's. Rev. Anne Marie will begin serving our parish on Aug 1, 2023; however, she will visit us before then to begin to get to know us. The first visit will occur on May 21.
We would like to thank the search committee (committee chair Morgan Bass Roper, Erika Gibson, Ernest Hood, Rufus Muller, Rebecca Eddy, Cynthia Copeland, Jeannine Otis, Sarah Phillips Coco, and Mark Graham) for your hard and thoughtful work throughout the process. Your dedication to finding the right person for St. Mark's was evident when you presented Rev. Anne Marie to the Vestry.
Below is a letter from Rev. Anne Marie to St. Mark's introducing herself.
Please reach out with any questions.
The Wardens and Vestry of St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery
Dear People of St. Mark's,
I am so excited and deeply honored to join you at St. Mark's this summer. Thanks to the Search Committee, your wardens, Lis and Mary-Margret, and the entire Vestry for their thoughtful discernment and leadership through this time. I loved getting to know you during the search process and I look forward to really getting to know you in the time ahead.
Here's a little about me:
I grew up in New York City. My parents met at Judson Memorial Church on the Social Concerns committee and raised my sister and me to believe that church was a place for prayer and action. The minister when I was growing up often ended worship by saying: And now, the service begins.
I joined The Episcopal Church as a young adult with my boyfriend (now husband) when I was interning at Sojourners Magazine in Washington, DC. We immediately felt at home at a local parish that worshiped in the round, had a vibrant music ministry, and had deep ties in the community.
For the last six years, I’ve served at Church of the Heavenly Rest. Under the guidance of our Rector (Bishop-Elect Matt Heyd), I directed our outreach ministries, expanded our racial justice work, grew our programs through the pandemic, and supported and managed our staff team.
My husband, Joshua, is finishing his Master’s in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management at The New School. We have two children, Magdalena (5), and Simeon (3) (and a third one on the way).
My calling as a priest has grown over time, but the core is this: We are called to experience, reflect, and share God’s love by building strong Christian community and offering the witness of Christ’s love to the wider world.
My role as your priest-in-charge will be to help tell the story of what God is doing at St. Mark’s and in our communities.
We’ll do this through preaching, organizing our people and neighborhoods for worship and mission, imagining and planning for our future, and caring for each other through all of the changes and challenges of our lives.
I know–and you know–that St. Mark’s is an amazing place with amazing possibilities. I can’t wait to learn more and explore what might be possible together.
Many Blessings,
