Live a Deeper Life in Christ
For about 260 years, St. Mark's Episcopal Church has gathered at 111 Oenoke Ridge in New Canaan, Connecticut, a quiet residential street in Fairfield County. The parish describes itself as "a community of love formed by the grace of God" with a mission "to go and make disciples who live a deeper life in Christ, a more holy communion with one another, and a greater love for the world." Members often repeat the parish vision: a church "bursting with disciples so transformed by the Holy Spirit that they live to give for the love of the Lord." St. Mark's is a parish of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, part of The Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. The congregation numbers about 1,600 members, with roughly 300 attending an average Sunday in person and many more joining through the livestream.
The Rector, the Rev. Peter F. Walsh, has served the parish since 2008. He is joined by the Rev. Elizabeth Garnsey, Senior Associate Rector since 2018. Together they lead a staff of about a dozen and a wide array of lay ministries, from the choir loft and carillon tower to the preschool classrooms and the raised beds of the Gospel Garden.
Sunday Worship on Oenoke Ridge
Three Sunday services set the rhythm of the week. At 8:00 AM, a traditional spoken Holy Eucharist Rite I is offered in the Chapel. At 9:00 AM, the parish gathers outside for Holy Eucharist Rite II in the Courtyard, weather permitting. The principal service follows at 10:00 AM in the church: Holy Eucharist Rite II with the choir, livestreamed on YouTube for those at home or away. Communion is offered at every service.
Children have their own place in the morning. Childcare for infants through age four is offered from 9:00 to 11:00 AM in the preschool classrooms, staffed by professional nannies from Wee Care Nanny Agency. Children in kindergarten through seventh grade attend Church School in Morrill Hall during the 10:00 service, beginning with a brief "Teach and Sing" with the Director of Music before class. Older students in grades 5 to 7 gather as "Meet in the Middle" in the lower-level youth room to wrestle with the Bible's biggest stories and the challenges of faith at school and at home. High schoolers meet on their own schedule and take part in annual summer mission trips.
After the 10:00 service, everyone is invited to the "World's Greatest Coffee Hour," which the parish cheerfully bills as one of the main attractions of any given Sunday. A new family-friendly guide to the Episcopal liturgy, written with newcomers in mind, walks worshipers through what the congregation does, what it means, and how to join in. Copies are available in the pews. The parish also points visitors to "Episcopal 101," a three-session class offered several times a year that introduces newcomers to Scripture, the sacraments, and the life of prayer in the Anglican tradition.
Music at St. Mark's: Organ, Carillon, and Choir
Music is one of the defining features of worship here. The pipe organ in the gallery is Austin Organs Opus 2344, installed in 1961 and renovated in 2014. One of the largest and most important organs in southern Connecticut, it was dedicated in a recital by John Weaver on January 7, 1962, and serves both Sunday worship and regular recital programming.
Above the church stands the 171-foot bell tower housing the Dana-Barton Carillon, a set of 30 cast bronze bells crafted by the Paccard Fonderie de Cloches in Annecy-le-Vieux, France. Twenty bells were given in 1961 by Charles W. Dana, Jr., in memory of his mother, Agnes Ladson Dana; ten more were added in 1965 in memory of the Rev. Michael Roy Barton, Rector from 1933 to 1964. The tower was designed by Professor Arthur Bigelow of Princeton University. The largest two bells weigh about 3,100 pounds and can be swung by hand from a console reached by 100 steps, or rung by an electronic system at floor level. The carillonneur is Marietta Douglas.
Music at St. Mark's also includes a five-octave set of Whitechapel handbells and three pianos: a Yamaha C3 (1971) in the nave, a Yamaha C2 (2005) in the choir rehearsal room, and a Steinway M (1977) in Morrill Hall. Edward J. "Ned" Tipton directs the music program. A child prodigy who gave his first recital at six, Tipton trained in Paris on a Rotary scholarship and went on to serve as organist of the American Cathedral in Paris for twenty-one years and at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral, Los Angeles. He studied the organ works of Maurice Duruflé with the composer's widow and serves on the board of the Association Maurice et Marie-Madeleine Duruflé.
The Friends of Music support the choir and choristers and bring renowned performers and orchestral collaborations to the parish. Recurring musical offerings include Evensong services and major choral-orchestral works such as Duruflé's Requiem, performed with members of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. Tipton and the Rev. Peter Walsh also lead periodic musical pilgrimages to the great cathedrals of Europe.
Children, Youth, and Family Formation
St. Mark's takes the formation of children and young people seriously. Every Sunday during the 10:00 service, the Church School gathers in Morrill Hall. The kindergarten class uses Godly Play 1, a Montessori-based storytelling approach that introduces the Old and New Testaments in chronological order. Grades 1 and 2 continue with Godly Play 2, deepening their familiarity with the prophets and the apostles. Grades 3 and 4 follow the Holy Moly curriculum, an animated two-year journey through the Bible. Grades 5 through 7 use the Connect curriculum in "Meet in the Middle," a thoughtful conversation about how the Bible's stories relate to life at school and home.
Children are also welcome to participate directly in worship as acolytes, readers, ushers, and chalice ministers. The High School Youth Group, open to all students in grades 9 to 12, gathers for faith, fellowship, and service, including annual summer mission trips and seasonal gatherings at the Rectory with Father Peter. The Confirmation program meets during the eighth-grade year, with confirmands expected to serve as acolytes at least seven times between October and April.
For the youngest children, the Sunday nursery is staffed every week by trained nannies who provide a small snack and plenty of attention. Rocking chairs and quiet toys are available at the back of the chapel for parents who prefer to keep little ones nearby.
Pastoral Care with Frances the Pastoral Pup
The parish's pastoral ministry, called the Community of Hope, reaches more than 600 people in a typical year. A trained Visitation Team makes regular visits to elderly and homebound parishioners. A Call Team follows the weekly prayer list, calling the roughly 90 people being prayed for at any given time. Meals with Love, a team of about 14 cooks, prepares and delivers meals to more than 80 families each year during illness, bereavement, or the arrival of a new baby. Lay Eucharistic Ministers bring Holy Communion to those unable to attend in person, visiting more than 70 people a year. A Grief Support group meets periodically, and specially trained chaplains assist the clergy in long-term and complex situations.
St. Mark's best-known pastoral visitor is Frances, a Goldendoodle and trained pastoral care dog who has been with the parish since 2018. Frances spends most days at the church and regularly visits patients and residents at Waveny Care Center, Silver Hill Hospital, The Inn at Waveny, and parishioners at home. She was honored with the "Paws-On" MVP Award from the New Canaan Community Foundation for her work at Waveny LifeCare Network. Frances has her own Instagram account, @francesstmarks.
After each Sunday's altar flowers are arranged, the Flower Guild reassembles them into pastoral bouquets that are delivered to people experiencing joy, sorrow, illness, or need. Frances is a founding member of the Pastoral Pup Team, which is specially trained to take her on her weekly visits.
Outreach: From a Garden to a Grants Commission
Service to the wider community flows through several long-standing ministries. The Gospel Garden, an organic vegetable garden on the parish grounds, donates thousands of pounds of produce each year to the New Canaan Food Pantry and Darien's Person to Person. Laundry Love, a monthly outreach held on the first Wednesday at Giant Laundry in Norwalk, brings volunteers together to wash the clothes of people who could use a hand. The Matthew 25 ministry focuses the parish's service on Jesus' call to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned.
The Outreach Grants Commission, supported in part by proceeds from the annual May Fair (a tradition for more than 77 years), evaluates and funds Christ-centered work beyond the parish walls. Recent grant partners include ABC House, AFEDJ, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, Clothes to Kids, Episcopal Relief and Development, Future 5, GetAbout, Gracie Fund for Pediatric Cancer, Green Village Initiative, Inspirica, INTEMPO, Jerusalem PeaceBuilders, Meals on Wheels, New Canaan Parent Support Group, Norwalk Housing Summer Lunch Program, Open Doors, and Pivot Ministries.
The Creation Care ministry sees care of the earth as a sacred responsibility, and St. Mark's was named a Green Hero by Planet New Canaan for its sustainability work. The parish also maintains a Racial Reconciliation ministry, hosts pilgrimages and retreats, and supports a Newcomer Welcome Committee to help newcomers find their place.
The Preschool, the Sacraments, and the Wider Campus
St. Mark's Preschool, founded in 1991 and licensed by the State of Connecticut, is owned and operated by the parish and governed by its own board. A member of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, the preschool serves children ages two through five and offers a summer camp with weekly chapel, arts, play, kitchen and library time, and an outdoor garden and playground. Director Prisca Spitz has been with the program since 2016 and brings more than two decades of experience in Connecticut early childhood education.
The parish grounds also include a Columbarium for the interment of ashes, available to St. Mark's members, and the original St. Mark's West Road Cemetery. The church welcomes inquiries about Holy Baptism, Holy Matrimony, and funerals from members and non-members alike. Baptisms are typically scheduled at the 10:00 Sunday service on dates tied to the Book of Common Prayer calendar, with additional summer dates offered. The parish requires pre-marital counseling with a member of the clergy for all weddings at St. Mark's, and joyfully celebrates the marriages of all couples who feel called to the lifelong covenant. Funeral and memorial services are open to anyone in need, and the clergy are glad to help families think ahead about end-of-life plans.
Joining In
Visitors and newcomers are warmly welcomed at St. Mark's. Those interested in learning more can call the Church Office at (203) 966-4515 or email churchoffice@stmarksnewcanaan.org. The church livestreams the 10:00 Sunday service on its YouTube channel and posts sermons and the weekly Rev'd Up for Sunday podcast, where the clergy debate and discuss the gospel in lively, theological conversation. Worship is supported by pledges to the Annual Fund, with the average giving campaign funding about 70 percent of the parish's annual operating budget; the rest comes from the endowment and other sources. Planned gifts are recognized through the Lion's Legacy Circle. There is no fee for baptisms, and weddings and funerals are open to all.
Whether you are drawn by the sound of the carillon across New Canaan, the stained-glass panels of the reredos, the music of the choir and organ, the children gathered for Sunday school, or simply a quiet weekday service of Morning Prayer over Zoom, St. Mark's offers many ways to encounter the love of God and to share in the life of a parish that has been gathering on Oenoke Ridge for generations.