Fr. Ryan and his wife, Elise, come to us from Tampa in the Diocese of Southwest Florida and they are very excited to be here. Their first Sunday with us was January 24, 2010, which is also their wedding anniversary.

Fr. Ryan grew up in Fort Myers, FL and is a “cradle” Episcopalian, having been raised at St. Hilary’s Episcopal Church in Fort Myers. He earned a double undergraduate degree in History and Religion at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC and went directly from there to seminary. Having always lived in the suburban South, Fr. Ryan decided he wanted to try something different for a while and chose to enroll (in the urban Midwest) at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. He spent his senior year as the Seminarian Intern at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, where he grew to a deeper love and knowledge of the church’s traditions in liturgy and music.

After completing seminary, Fr. Ryan was ordained a Deacon in June of 2006 and a Priest in December of 2006, both at the parish where he served as the Assistant to the Rector, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Tampa, FL. It was during his time there that he met his lovely wife, Elise, at a diocesan Young Adults retreat at DaySpring Episcopal Conference Center. They were married in January 2009. Elise is a high school guidance counselor and earned her Master’s degree at the University of South Florida.

Fr. Ryan is a very dedicated baseball fan (even if it is for the division rival Atlanta Braves). He also loves to read and discuss fiction and movies, and loves playing recreational softball and golf. Both Elise and Fr. Ryan are delighted and blessed to be here and look forward to meeting you.

Click here to view the video of the installation of Fr. Ryan as the 4th Rector of St. George's, on May 2nd, 2010.

Fr. Ryan is a member of the Society of Catholic Priests and is soon to be inducted into the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament.