St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church has stood on Fairmount Road in Upper Ridgewood, New Jersey, since 1923, gathering a diverse, intergenerational congregation in a residential neighborhood of Bergen County. Its motto, "Welcome home," sets the tone of its ministry. The parish is known for worship rooted in the Book of Common Prayer, a vibrant Church School, three choirs for all ages, and an unusually active portfolio of outreach ministries reaching across northeast New Jersey and beyond.
An English Arts and Crafts Sanctuary on Fairmount Road
The church building is an English Arts and Crafts structure completed in 1923, built from fieldstones unearthed during the foundation work itself. The first warden, Albert Leonhard, who had donated the land and was also warden of the sponsoring parish of St. Bartholomew's in Ho-Ho-Kus, saw the stones and offered to fund the shift from wood to stone construction. The Vestry named the church after his late wife, Elizabeth, in gratitude. The exterior draws from Gothic architecture in its chancel arches, choir benches, and stained glass - especially the rose window - giving the building a timeless sense of age. Even the original coal furnace chimney was disguised as a Gothic bell tower.
In 1957, the chapel was expanded with a balcony, narthex, and bell tower. Care was taken to blend old and new: matching stones were acid-washed and the original scissor beams replicated and stained to match. A line in the floorboards is the only visible transition. The simple, dignified interior features warm oak pews, a carved pulpit, dramatic beams, and handmade needlepoint cushions and kneelers crafted by parishioners.
In the early 2000s, the 1957 tower began to separate from the structure and was completely rebuilt in 2014 with a porch base, lantern top, and parapet adorned with various cross designs, echoing the clerestory windows. Four new bells were added that year and blessed by Bishop Mark Beckwith. The Lightner Memorial Bell, the Democracy Bell in red, white, and blue, the burgundy Parents' and Grandparents' Bell, and the blue Musicians' Bell ring in B, D, E, and G. A smaller green Children's Bell completes the tower. A 16-inch bronze sanctus bell, cast at the Petit and Frisen foundry in the Netherlands, was added later in memory of Amanda Bell; it rings daily at noon and 6 PM and during services of Holy Eucharist.
The property also includes a Memorial Garden north of the sanctuary, where the ashes of members are interred and remembered each All Saints' Sunday, and a Children's Garden at the entrance to the Parish House. A Schantz organ console built in 1986 was replaced in 2014 with a new three-manual console built by Patrick J. Murphy and Associates, funded by the "For All the Saints" capital campaign.
Sunday Worship and the Rhythm of the Week
Sunday morning is the heart of parish life. A single Holy Eucharist is celebrated at 10 AM in the church and livestreamed on the parish's YouTube channel, followed by coffee hour in the Parish Hall. On the third Sunday of each month from September through May, the morning takes the form of a Family Worship Service in which all children attend the regular liturgy with their families; the Children's Choir sings, and older children take on acolyte and lector roles. On the fourth Sunday of the month, an additional 5 PM service is held from September through May.
Weekday worship extends the Sunday rhythm. Morning Prayer is said Monday through Friday at 8:30 AM on Zoom, following the Rite I liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer. The twenty-minute service welcomes people wherever they are - commuting, eating breakfast, or praying from home - and parishioners rotate leading it. A Weekday Holy Eucharist is celebrated at noon on the first and third Wednesdays from September through May. During Lent, Compline is prayed at 8:05 PM on Mondays, and during Advent, a Midweek Sung Compline is sung at 6:30 PM.
Baptisms typically occur during the Sunday Eucharist, with preparation for adult candidates, parents, and godparents on a separate day. Weddings follow a Christian theology of marriage and assume both partners are active members of the Church. Funerals follow The Burial of the Dead liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer, with scripture readings and prayers affirming the resurrection hope. The Parish Hall and other spaces can be rented for events, and the Memorial Garden provides a columbarium for the interment of ashes.
Children, Youth, and Family Life
The goal of the parish's Children, Youth, and Family Ministries is to teach the Christian faith and the Christian way of life. Children of all ages are always welcome at services, and children's bulletins and pew bags help them engage.
Faith formation is structured around Church School for children ages four through seventh grade. Class leaders use an age-appropriate curriculum of Bible stories, crafts, and discussions connecting the day's readings to real life. After class, children attend Children's Chapel, a song- and story-filled service led by Chapel Leaders, the Family Ministry Associate, and the Associate Choirmaster, designed so young parishioners can take on simple roles. Church School and Children's Chapel meet at 9:30 AM three Sundays a month, September through May.
A Nursery for children under four is open at 9:30 AM through the end of worship on Sundays during the Church School year, located on the second floor of the Parish House. Attendants are sixteen and older, have completed Safe Church training, and many are Red Cross-trained in babysitting and first aid. In the summer, children through age five are welcome in the Nursery.
Confirmation is open to those in eighth grade and above. The nine-month program includes prayer, study, service, and fellowship, with meetings twice a month from 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM, along with community service and an overnight retreat.
For older youth, the Young People's Fellowship (YPF) meets six times a year for friendship, fun, faith, and service. High school students are invited to Teen Outreach, growing in faith together through service to the community. Youth also serve in the Acolyte Ministry, taking a vital role in worship.
Throughout the year, special events mark the seasons and milestones of family life: a First Day of School Ice Cream Truck, St. Francis Pet Blessing, Holy Ghost Weenie Roast, Blessing of Halloween Costumes, Christmas Tree Lighting, Christmas Pageant, Easter Egg Hunt, Graduate Recognition Sunday, Flower Sunday, Summer Storytime, Family Dinners, Super Soaker Sundays, and a Summer Camp Week hosted jointly with Christ Church, Ridgewood.
Music That Speaks Where Words Cannot
Music is central to life at St. Elizabeth's, reflecting the Anglican tradition and the belief that it speaks where words cannot. From congregational hymns and choral anthems to Evensong and community concerts, music expresses the heart of parish identity.
The Senior Choir is a welcoming, volunteer-based ensemble supported by a professional quartet. The choir sings at weekly Sunday liturgies, major seasonal services, and special events including the Lenten Requiem and the December Advent Concert with orchestra. Rehearsals are held on Sundays from September through mid-June, 11:45 AM to 1:15 PM. New members of all experience levels are welcome year-round.
The Children's Choir (Grades K-5) and Youth Choir (Grades 6 and up) rehearse on Thursdays at 5:30 PM, singing at monthly Family Services, Christmas Eve, Easter, and often joining the Senior Choir for concert works with orchestra. Rehearsals focus on music reading, vocal technique, games, and community. The Donald S. N. Galletly Scholarship, established in 2011, supports dedicated young choristers through the Royal School of Church Music's Voice for Life program; Galletly Scholars receive funding to attend advanced summer music programs and serve as Head Choristers.
The professional quartet includes soprano Anastasia Swope, mezzo-soprano Alicia Luick, tenor Jeffrey Castellano, and bass Daniel Peretto, a tenured member of the Metropolitan Opera chorus who lives in Northvale. Organist and Choirmaster Garah Landes, a pianist, composer, and arranger, has led the music program since 2004. A critically acclaimed Carnegie Recital Hall debut winner, Landes records on the Stradivari Classics and KOCH International Classics labels and performs with Synchronicity, a piano and percussion duo with his brother Gregory. Associate Choirmaster Jennifer Hommez joined the staff in 2025 to direct the children's choirs and lead Sunday Chapel services.
Adult Formation and Small Groups
The Rector's Adult Inquirers' Class, led by the Rev. Andy Olivo, invites those interested in baptism, confirmation, reception into the Episcopal Church, or simply learning more about the Christian faith. Those who complete the class may choose to be confirmed or received at a future diocesan liturgy.
Small groups gather throughout the week. The Before Lunch Book Talk meets the first Tuesday of each month from noon to 1 PM, with a Zoom option; selected titles for 2026-2027 include novels by Stephanie Marie Thornton, Kelli Estes, Allen Levi, Janet Skeslien Charles, Geraldine Brooks, Virginia Evans, and Edith Wharton, along with Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop. The Moms Group meets twice a month on Thursday mornings at 10:30 AM in the Garden Room for faith-based conversations about family life, with babies, friends, and relatives all welcome. The Needlecrafters meet Thursday mornings at 10 AM and Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM in the Parish Hall for prayer, fellowship, and stitchwork, crafting baby blankets, prayer shawls, and other items for charity. Fella-ship gathers men of the parish for fellowship, service, and special events. The Garden Guild tends the walkways, trees, Children's Garden, and Memorial Garden seasonally as good stewards of creation.
Serving Our Neighbors in Paterson and Beyond
St. Elizabeth's supports a wide range of charitable partners through its Outreach Committee, which meets monthly from September through November and February through June. The committee responds to grant applications from local, national, and international organizations and provides opportunities for volunteer service.
The flagship local partnership is with the SPCDC Emergency Men's Shelter in Paterson, where St. Elizabeth's volunteers prepare and serve dinner for 35 men experiencing homelessness on the third Monday of every month. Volunteers can cook, donate food, help serve, or assist with cleanup; teens, families, confirmands, and friends are all welcome. The shelter relies on nearly thirty area churches and civic organizations providing more than fifty volunteers each year.
St. Elizabeth's has been a key partner of Philip's Academy Charter School of Paterson since its 2015 founding, providing financial support through its Dickinson Fund, board participation, and hands-on volunteer projects. Philip's Academy Paterson graduated its first eighth-grade class in 2025, with many of those students now attending selective high schools.
Other supported organizations include Apostles' House; Children's Aid and Family Services (Baby Basics); Community Meals; Emmanuel Cancer Foundation; Episcopal Relief and Development, including Hurricane Melissa relief in 2025; Family Promise of Bergen County; Habitat for Humanity in Paterson; New Hope Community Ministries; Newark Diocese Prison Ministries; Oasis; SHARE, Inc.; Social Service Association of Ridgewood; St. Paul's Community Development Corporation; St. Paul's Episcopal Church with its "Just Diapers" program; St. Philip's Theological College in Tanzania; West Bergen Mental Healthcare; and the Youth Consultation Services Foundation's Holley Center.
Pastoral Care and Parish Life
The Pastoral Care Committee is committed to making St. Elizabeth's a caring, supportive place. Clergy and parishioners alike share in the work. The clergy visit all parishioners who are ill or homebound and regularly bring Holy Communion to those unable to attend Sunday services. There is a special brief service for Communion at home, using bread and wine consecrated at a regular service. The clergy are also available for pastoral counseling by appointment.
If parishioners are hospitalized, clergy and lay chaplains will visit. A beloved Easter tradition, the Lily Bearers, sends eldest parishioners and those who have lost a parent, spouse, son, or daughter in the past year a lily from the altar; individuals and families sign up to deliver them.
The Card Ministry offers parishioners the opportunity to request handwritten cards for celebrations, sympathy, and thinking-of-you occasions, a meaningful connection to the caring church family. The Meals Ministry provides volunteer-delivered meals during illness, post-surgery, stressful situations, or following the birth of a child, coordinated through the "Take Them a Meal" platform.
Clergy, Staff, and Governance
The Rev. D. Andrew "Andy" Olivo became the sixth Rector of St. Elizabeth's in September 2019. Originally from southern Indiana, he attended Milligan University and the School of Theology at the University of the South, where he received his Master of Divinity. Prior to St. Elizabeth's he served as Assistant Rector of St. John's Church, Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., and at parishes in Tennessee. He and his wife Catherine have three children.
The staff also includes Garah Landes (Organist and Choirmaster since 2004), Beth Van Emburgh (Associate for Children, Youth, and Family Ministries since 2021), Jennifer Hommez (Associate Choirmaster since 2025), Grace (Director of Finance and Administration since 2016), Stephanie Doyle (Parish Life Coordinator since 2025), and Fredy Reyes (Sexton since 2020).
The Vestry is the parish's governing body, overseeing legal and financial affairs, with the Rector serving as Chair in accordance with the Canons of the Episcopal Church. Wardens Sandy Sullivan and Michael Dickson lead the parish alongside a Vestry of twelve members serving three-year terms, plus a Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer. Each autumn the Vestry forms a Nominating Committee to propose candidates for election at the January Annual Meeting, and the parish also elects delegates and an alternate for the Diocesan Convention. By long custom, one Warden is a woman and one a man.
Anglican Worship in the Episcopal Tradition
St. Elizabeth's is a parish of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Newark, seeing itself as following Jesus into loving, liberating, and life-giving relationship with God, with each other, and with the earth, as the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement. Worship is rooted in the Book of Common Prayer, drawing on Anglican and Episcopal traditions, and described by the parish as "broad church." The parish welcomes families with school-age children, adults without children at home, and members from a variety of political views who grew up in diverse religious traditions.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM. The parish office can be reached at (201) 444-2299 or info@stesridgewood.org. Visitors are encouraged to enter 212 California Street for the parking lot during office hours; visitor parking is available.