A Parish on Highland Avenue Since 1889
St. Thomas' Episcopal Church sits on the northwest corner of Highland Avenue and Winton Road South in Rochester, recognizable by its red doors. The congregation traces its origins to a Sunday School for boys that Will Congdon started on Pearl and Goodman Streets in 1889. The mission was formally established in 1896 and celebrated its 135th anniversary in 2024. Today it functions as a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, with roughly 400 to 600 members on the rolls and about 200 people in the pews on a typical Sunday.
Following Christ in the Episcopal Tradition
The parish describes itself as followers of Jesus Christ who believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Members worship with The Book of Common Prayer, uphold the Bible, and keep the ancient structure of Anglican liturgy. Holy Communion is open to all baptized Christians, not just members of the Episcopal Church. The parish affirms the dignity of every person, holds that committed relationships are lifelong and monogamous while recognizing grace after divorce, and treats matters such as birth control as personal informed conscience. Both men and women, including those who are married, may be ordained as deacons, priests, and bishops. Lay people play a vital role in governance and ministry.
The parish mission comes straight from Matthew 28 and Luke 4: to go and make disciples of all nations, proclaiming release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty to the oppressed, and the year of the Lord's favor.
One Sunday Service at Ten
St. Thomas' celebrates a single Holy Eucharist each Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary. The liturgy is traditional Anglican, supported by choir and organ and occasional orchestral accompaniment, and runs roughly 45 to 60 minutes. Communion is offered at every service, and the parish shares a common cup. Eucharistic Ministers are trained in chalice hygiene, and anyone who prefers to receive only the bread still shares in full communion. The full service is livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Rochester, NY.
Welcome Guides greet newcomers at the red doors before and after worship and hand out bulletins, large-print bulletins and hymnals, and a limited number of hearing devices. Anyone wishing to remain in a pew for communion need only signal a guide.
The Pray Ground, the Nursery, and Sunday School
Children of every age are welcomed in every service. Crawlers through age 3 can play in the pray ground at the front of the sanctuary while a parent sits alongside them, giving the youngest a front-row seat at worship. A staffed nursery is available for children up to age 4 during the 10 a.m. service. Sunday School meets during the same hour for ages 5 through 11, using a lectionary-based curriculum so children typically study the same Bible passages their parents hear in the liturgy.
Youth in grades 7 and up gather for a Youth Group on the first and third Sundays of each month after the 10 a.m. service. The group focuses on fellowship, games, service projects, and conversation about faith. The Associate for Children's and Youth Ministries, supported by ministry coordinator Paula Gitlin, oversees both programs.
A Choir, a Jazz Mass, and the Jarvis Concert
St. Thomas' is a singing church. The Adult Choir welcomes singers in high school and above with no audition required. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings during the school year from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., with a 9:00 a.m. warm-up before the Sunday service. The repertoire runs from Gregorian chant to contemporary Rochester composers, and a pickup choir carries the music through the summer.
Once a year the choir is joined by instrumentalists and sometimes a guest choir for the Jarvis Concert, an endowed program underwritten by the William and Peggy Jarvis Memorial Choir Fund. Recent offerings have included Vivaldi's Gloria, Handel's Coronation Anthems, Mozart's Solemn Vespers, and the Requiems of Faure, Durufle, and Rutter. Choral Evensongs and Masses with instrumental accompaniment are offered once or twice a year. Parishioner Clay Jenkins, a professor at the Eastman School of Music, organizes a widely attended Jazz Mass at the principal Sunday service.
Baptism, Confirmation, Weddings, and the Full Columbarium
Baptisms of infants and adults take place on designated Sundays throughout the year. Parents meet with the Rector for a personalized Preparing for Baptism session beforehand; adults who have not been baptized elsewhere are asked to take part in membership classes first.
Confirmation at St. Thomas' follows the Confirm not Conform curriculum and runs for about ten classes spread across the year, ending when the bishop visits. Youth typically begin in 8th or 9th grade, with 10th or 11th grade considered ideal, and adults can join annual adult confirmation classes.
Couples marrying at St. Thomas' must have been members for at least a year, or be the child of a member. They begin by meeting with the Rector through the parish office, then work with clergy on a service that follows the Book of Common Prayer and conforms to both New York State law and Episcopal canons. Sanctuary fees are $325 for members and $525 for non-members, and divorced persons are welcome to marry at St. Thomas' in keeping with Episcopal canons.
The parish supports families through funerals and Christian burial. The Crown of Thorns Chapel houses a columbarium for cremated remains. As of spring 2026 the columbarium is fully occupied.
EfM, Fiber Arts, and the Vestry
The parish offers more than 100 ways to be involved. Adult Formation takes different forms by season, including Education for Ministry (EfM), a four-year program developed by the University of the South covering scripture, tradition, history, and theological reflection. The Fiber Arts ministry, a knitting group, offers a relaxed way to build friendships before attending worship. Prayer Partners hold up confidential prayer requests for four weeks at a time.
Governance rests with a nine-member vestry elected for three-year terms, with three seats rotating each year at the January annual meeting. The vestry appoints liaisons to commissions covering Finance, Property, Stewardship, Endowment, Parish Life, Everybody Welcome, Outreach, and Watchcare, and meets monthly on the second Tuesday from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The Rector, the Associate, the Deacon, and the Choir Director
The Very Rev. Leslie Burkardt serves as Rector. She moved to Rochester in 2015 from Corpus Christi, Texas, where she had served as Interim Rector, and previously held associate and rector posts in North Carolina. Her training includes Interim Leadership, Meditation and Reconciliation in Family Systems, Appreciative Inquiry, and Stewardship Formation. She and her husband Jay, who serves as the Assistant at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on East Avenue, have a teenage daughter, Norah.
The Rev. Lydia Arnts joined as Associate for Children's and Youth Ministries. An Ithaca College graduate in vocal performance, she completed her Master of Divinity at Virginia Theological Seminary in 2025 after a seminarian internship at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.
Deacon Andrea Stridiron, a retired Rochester City School District teacher with a master's from SUNY Brockport, has been a member of St. Thomas' for forty years and was ordained to the Diaconate in 2009.
Rhonda Wright has served as organist and choir director since 2023. A Penn State graduate in piano performance, she completed doctoral coursework and a master's in music theory at the Eastman School of Music and studied at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.
Finding the Red Doors
On-street parking lines Highland Avenue for those who prefer a short walk; the adjacent lot is set aside for visitors and those with limited mobility. Drop-off loop spaces are reserved for handicap permits. A ramp leads into the sanctuary and an elevator serves the chapel and other floors. A hearing loop in the sanctuary broadcasts on channels reserved for personal hearing aids.
Visitors who decide to join the parish speak to a staff member or Welcome Guide and fill out a card from the pew rack, with a brief welcoming rite to follow. Membership is not required to attend worship or other events, and all who come in faith are welcome to receive communion.