Our Leadership

The Rt. Rev. Paula E. Clark, Bishop of Chicago

The Rt. Rev. Canon Paula E. Clark is the 13th Bishop of Chicago. She was consecrated in September of 2022.  She oversees a diocese that includes 31,000 Episcopalians in 122 congregations across Northern Illinois.  Before becoming bishop, she served as canon to the ordinary and chief of staff in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington,  She received a Master of Divinity degree from the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia and served at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D. C. and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Beltsville, Maryland, before joining the staff of Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde.  

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Incoming Rector - The Rev. Carlos de la Torre

​Fr. Carlos de la Torre comes to the Church of the Ascension after serving for four years as Rector of Saint John's, Bellefonte in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. Previously,  he served as curate of Christ Church, New Haven, a historic downtown Anglo-Catholic parish in the Diocese of Connecticut, and as director of Saint Hilda’s House, a residential service year program for young adults. During his tenure in Connecticut, he also served as a Region Missioner, a Diocesan position aimed to encourage greater collaboration among parishes.
 
Fr. de la Torre has held several diocesan and church-wide appointments. He has served on the Commission on Ministry in the Diocese of Connecticut and Central Pennsylvania, he was elected as a clergy deputy to General Convention, and he was subsequently appointed to the House of Deputies Committee on the State of the Church. He is a member of various Catholic devotional societies and a priest associate at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.
 
Fr. de la Torre was born in Lima, Peru, and was raised in a New York City suburb. He has a Master of Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, and a Bachelor of Arts from Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York. You will soon see him around the parish church and grounds with his black standard poodle, Ozzie. 

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Curate - The Rev.  Meghan Murphy-Gill

Mother Meghan Murphy-Gill was called to be Ascension's Curate in August of 2021 and began her curacy in September.  She was ordained to the transitional diaconate in February 2021.  Her priestly ordination took place here at Ascension in October 2021.  Before coming to Ascension, Mother Murphy-Gill  was the seminarian at Church of the Atonement in Edgewater, where she discovered a deep sense of connection to sacred music and Anglo Catholic liturgy. Prior to stepping onto the ordination path, she studied systematic theology and church history at Catholic Theological Union as a Bernardin Scholar. She was an editor for U.S. Catholic magazine for 10 years and served as the managing editor from 2016 to 2018 before stepping down to focus on formation for priesthood and writing. She continues to write about food, faith, and culture, with bylines appearing in the New York Times to Chicago Magazine, and is currently writing a book on the spirituality of bread. While not reading and writing, Mother Murphy-Gill loves to cook, eat, and run (on repeat). She lives in the Edgewater neighborhood with her husband, Andrew, and their son, Albie.

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Deacon  – The Rev. Charles Farrell ​

Deacon Charles Farrell was ordained in 2013 and served at Christ Church Cathedral, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, prior to a 2017 move to Chicago. Deacon Farrell has served in numerous hands-on and leadership roles  in a wide variety of outreach programs devoted to feeding, clothing, and sheltering people in need.  His appointment as Deacon from the Bishop of Chicago is divided between Ascension and Church of the Atonement, Chicago. In his secular work, Deacon Farrell serves as Executive Director of Student Centers at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

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​Assisting Priest – The Rev. Gary E. A. Lawler

Fr. Lawler has been a priest for nearly thirty years and served parishes in New York City, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Morrison, Illinois, and is now retired and living happily in Edgewater, a neighborhood along Chicago’s lakefront.  These days, upon request, he gladly helps-out/fills-in where and when he can. He fills his spare time with cultural activities, concerts, 12-step meetings and travel.

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​Assisting Priest – The Rev. Robert Petite, D.Min, BCC, LMFT, ACPE

​Fr. Petite was ordained in 1971 in the Diocese of Nova Scotia, Canada, where he served for twenty years as a parish priest and hospital and military chaplain. He arrived in the Diocese of Chicago in 1989 for training in Clinical Pastoral Education.  Fr. Petite is a Certified Pastoral Educator (ACPE) and a Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of Illinois.  He retired as Chaplain and Executive Director of Church Home at Montgomery Place in 2014 where he served for twenty-two years. Fr. Petite continues to practice as a CPE Educator/Consultant, Marriage and Family Therapist, and Spiritual Director. He and his spouse, The Rev. Mark Tabbut, live in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago.

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Senior Warden – LaVerne Rollé Saunders

LaVerne Saunders serves as Senior Warden. She has been a member of Ascension for over 40 years and has served on previous vestries, twice as warden. She is active as an altar server, usher, lay reader, coffee hour host, and has served as Sunday school teacher and as the "official" dishwasher for the Annual Thanksgiving luncheon for our neighbors.  In the diocese she has served as a delegate to the diocesan convention and as a deanery representative. Her work experiences are varied and eclectic: In the 1970s she was both a New York City cab driver as well as Counsel for the Labor Committee in the Lower House of the New York State Legislature after graduating from Cornell University. From 1987 through to her retirement, her work was in the legal field, finally serving as an Administrative Law Judge. She is a cradle Anglican seeking to keep Ascension’s Anglo-Catholic practices and tenets alive for, and in, the 21st century. 

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Junior Warden - David Reeves

David Reeves serves as Junior Warden. David has been a member of Church of the Ascension for over 40 years. During that time, he has served on the vestry multiple times and served as clerk for the vestry for several terms. David has also chaired and served on the activities committee as well as chairman and co-chairman of the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner. David has also served on the Buildings and Grounds committee and assisted in the decorating of the church for Christmas and Easter. David also serves on the current Rector Search Committee. David grew up in Northern Virginia where he attended Shenandoah Conservatory where he majored in Music Education and Organ performance. He taught 2 years in middle school in the area and then moved to Chicago to study church music at Northwestern University. He held several church positions in Chicago before beginning a career in IT where he held positions for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2018. He is an avid sailor and enjoys sailing on Lake Michigan in the summer months. 

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Vestry

The Vestry, or parish council is responsible for all budgetary and property issues as well as collaborating with the Rector on strategic planning for parish growth and programming.  It is comprised of members of the parish who are elected at the annual meeting to three-year terms.   In addition to the two wardens listed above,  the 2023 Vestry includes:  Ian Barillas-McEntee, Ken Cozette, Marlea Edinger, Sean Hansen, Jim Lo Bello, David Alan Robertson, Elizabeth (Ellie) Karin Simpson-Falck, Joshua Simpson, Samuel 'Sam' Sommers. 

​Choirmaster – Benjamin Rivera

Chicago native Benjamin Rivera has dedicated his career to the inspiring and wonderfully varied art of ensemble singing. He began as a professional singer, and performed as a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus for over twenty seasons. He also sang with Chicago a cappella, the Grant Park Chorus, and several other ensembles, appearing as a soloist on numerous programs, and singing on dozens of recordings. He gradually transitioned to full-time conducting, and now holds positions in three states. Rivera’s current titles include Chorus Director and regular conductor of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Chorus Master of the Florentine Opera, Choirmaster of the Church of the Ascension, High Holidays Choir Director of Temple Sholom, and Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Chorus. He recently prepared the Chicago Symphony Chorus for a performance at the Ravinia Festival under the direction of Marin Alsop. Prior to his appointment to the conducting staff of the Chicago Symphony, Rivera was the Associate Conductor of The Washington Chorus, preparing the Chorus for performances with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap. He also works regularly as a guest chorus director, appearing multiple times with the Grant Park Chorus, Chicago a cappella, Music of the Baroque, and others. Especially adept with languages, Rivera frequently coaches German, Spanish, and Latin, among others. He holds degrees in voice and music theory from North Park University and Roosevelt University, respectively, and a DMA in conducting from Northwestern University. Dr. Rivera lives with his family in Beverly, a neighborhood on the southwest side of Chicago.

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O​rganist – David White

Before being appointed in 2016 to succeed legendary Ascension organist David Schrader, David White served as Organist/Choirmaster at several prestigious congregations, including St. Thomas, Medina (WA) and St. James Cathedral, Chicago.  He shares parish music leadership with Choirmaster Benjamin Rivera and is primary organist for all liturgies, monthly organ recitals, and special concerts.  White has performed internationally as organist and pianist, and is a prolific composer of choral music for the Episcopal Church, among many.

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Treasurer – Susan Schlough

​The Treasurer is an officer of the parish appointed by the Vestry. The Treasurer monitors the financial health of the church by tracking income and disbursements, reconciling bank statements, and analyzing Investment performance; an analysis is provided monthly to the Vestry. The Treasurer ensures that salaries and bills are paid on time and that parishioner contributions are recorded in a timely manner.

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Verger - MB Hwang

MB Hwang serves as Verger, facilitating the worship offered by the people of Ascension in conjunction with the clergy, vestry, and staff.  This often involves traditional duties such as training and scheduling acolytes and lay leaders, helping in the sacristy, and planning or preparing for liturgies. Enabling beautiful and reverent worship in our times can also require technological knowledge and creativity, online liturgical leadership, and a willingness to learn, experiment, or troubleshoot. 

​After completing undergraduate studies with an interdisciplinary focus on liturgical theology, MB studied at Nashotah House for several terms before completing an M. Div at the University of Chicago Divinity School.  She spent a number of years as an educator in a makerspace, encouraging people to discover and cultivate hands-on creativity, and has worked independently in diverse fields including digital design and fabrication.  MB has considered Ascension a spiritual home since 2012.

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Communications and Technology - Gary Alexander

​Gary Alexander serves as the Minister of Technology and Communications. Created in 2020, this part-time position (an average of 10 hours a week) manages Ascension’s live stream on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Holy Days and helps to facilitate other technical needs of the parish. Gary is also responsible for maintenance of the Ascension website and Facebook page and assists with marketing and outreach efforts through these and other media. Since returning to Ascension in 2014 from another parish, Gary, a life-long Episcopalian, has served on the vestry, as warden, as lector, and at the altar. He is a professional actor and director. He is also a certified yoga instructor and has been teaching since 2010. He began the yoga program at St. James Cathedral and currently has a full schedule of group, individual, and online classes. 

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​Facilities Manager – George Panice

As Facilities Manager, George Panice manages nearly all aspects of church maintenance, cleaning and repairs. He is skilled in numerous trades and, when unable himself to perform repairs or make needed improvements, George finds, schedules and collaborates with other professional contractors. George is also the guy who clears the sidewalks when it snows and who is called when the security alarm goes off in the middle of the night.

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Parish Office – Nathanael Deward Rahm BSG

Br. ​Nathanael provides general office support to the rector, staff, and congregation, supporting the ministries and mission of Church of the Ascension. Among other things, his work includes bulletin and e-newsletter preparation, phone and email support, management of church space use by parishioners and outside groups, supporting the church and collaborating with volunteers. While being a resource person for both members and non-members, Nathanael is a welcoming and responsive presence in the Ascension’s office.

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