Clergy and Staff
The Reverend Richard Wall, Rector
rector@standrewsc.org
Father Richard was called to be rector of Saint Andrew’s in September 2009 after serving for four and a half years as curate at Saint Clement’s Church in Philadelphia. He was born in Staffordshire and was educated and ordained in England, doing his undergraduate and seminary work in Oxford. He is a priest associate of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, the Society of Mary and the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament. He tries his best to maintain an open-door policy and is available to members and non-parishioners alike as a spiritual friend. Appointments can be made by contacting the parish administrator, Julie Valora, in the church office.
The Reverend Richard Virgil, Pastoral Associate
associate@standrewsc.org
Father Richard has been a part-time associate at Saint Andrew’s since 2005. He is from Elgin, Ill., and received education and degrees from Valparaiso University, University of Chicago and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He is a retired Lutheran pastor whose work centered on social ministry and serving the homeless. His current ministry focuses on senior care and theological education. He enjoys State College with his wife, Barbara, and daughter Samantha.
The Reverend Joseph H. DeLauter, Deacon
deacon@standrewsc.org
Deacon Joe completed the diaconate program with the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania School of Christian Studies in May 2005, was ordained to the diaconate and assigned to Saint Andrew’s in November 2005. He is a graduate of Penn State, a native of State College, and was baptized and confirmed at Saint Andrew’s. He and his wife, Sandra, have two children, Christine Krasnansky and Joseph DeLauter II, and two grandchildren, Chloe and Lauren Krasnansky.
Julie Valora, Administrative Assistant
office@standrewsc.org
Julie is a graduate of Bald Eagle Area High School and South Hills School of Business and Technology. She has had many jobs in her life, including home care aide, audit clerk, and pizza shop owner. She enjoys reading and cross stitching in her spare time and volunteers at the Community Cafe. Julie lives in Milesburg with Will and her sons, Jordan and Evander.
Scott Luzier, Sexton
sexton@standrewsc.org
Scott was born and raised in Clearfield and attended Clarion University. He worked for several years as a machine technician and for Murata Electronics and has been self-employed. He enjoys spending time with family, watching football, fishing and working around the house. Scott and his wife, Sara, live in Spring Mills. They have two children, Devin, who helps at Saint Andrew's when needed, and Courtney.
Robin Bagby, Director of Christian Formation
christianed@standrewsc.org
Robin has been an active member of Saint Andrew’s since 1984 and joined the staff in 2000 after having worked as a nutrition educator at Penn State. She has a degree in elementary education from the University of Kansas and a Master of Education degree from the University of Cincinnati. Robin and her husband, John, were received at Calvary Episcopal Church in Cincinnati in 1983, and their two children were baptized at Saint Andrew’s.
Gloria Meder, Membership Secretary
membership@standrewsc.org
Gloria has been a member of Saint Andrew’s since 1970 and her children and grandchildren all graduated from State College Area High School. She has been an active member of the Altar Guild, serves with the Community Cafe, is involved in the Women of Saint Andrew’s and was parish secretary in the late 1980s until her retirement in 2001. In addition to her work as membership secretary, Gloria volunteers for other duties, and Saint Andrew’s is a big part of her life.
Walter Wells, Choir Director
choir@standrewsc.org
Walter has been choir director at Saint Andrew’s since 1976. He is a graduate of Penn State and was in the army in Arlington, Va., where he continued to study music and met his wife, Molly, who sings in the choir. After graduate school he came to Saint Andrew’s and worked for the Arts and Humanities Library at Penn State. He has written numerous works for organ and for choirs.
In addition to his work at Saint Andrew’s, Walter has been active in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, serving as a member of the Diocesan Liturgy and Music Commission and teaching classes for the School of Christian Studies. He has conducted choirs for various diocesan events, including the recent visit to the diocese of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, and for Bishop Baxter’s consecration. He also has been active in directing the choirs for the annual Choir and Acolyte Festival of the Altoona Convocation. He is also active as a lay reader and chalice bearer at the church. He is also a member of the Anglican Association of Musicians.
Gwen Catchen, Organist
organist@standrewsc.org
Gwen has been organist at Saint Andrew’s Church since 1983. Gwen holds a Master of Fine Arts from Penn State and a Bachelor of Music from Syracuse University. She studied organ with Donald Sutherland and June Miller.
Gwen has been a church musician since her high school years. She served as choirmaster and organist at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y., as a choir member at St. Bartholomew’s in New York City and assistant organist at First United Methodist Church in Ponca City, Okla., before coming to Saint Andrew’s. Gwen is a member of the Diocesan Music and Liturgy Commission, the American Guild of Organists and the Association of Anglican Musicians.
Kelley Paulsen, Youth
Ministry Coordinator
youth@standrewsc.org
Kelley was born and raised in South Carolina. She and her husband, Greg, lived in Italy and California before settling in State College. She has three children, Ainsley, Zachary, and Emily.
Kelley is a cradle Episcopalian and is strongly tied to her faith. She has been a member of St. Andrew's for eight years. She has been involved with the youth programs on many levels since the J2A program began here. She was also involved in youth ministry on the diocesan level for seven years.
Julie Kwasnica, Nursery Coordinator
nursery@standrewsc.org
Julie has been an active member of Saint Andrew’s since she and her husband, Tony, were received in 2001. She joined the staff in 2006 but had been a volunteer in the nursery since 2001. When she’s not in the nursery, Julie is a stay-at-home mom to her daughters Anna and Marlee. Julie has a B.S. in finance from the University of Alabama and an M.S. in social science from the California Institute of Technology.
Jill Ascah, Financial Secretary
giving@standrewsc.org
Jill has been a member of Saint Andrew's since 1965. She and her husband, Bob, were married at Saint Andrew's in 1973. Jill became active in the church when her children were young and joined the staff in 1995. Bob is a lifelong member of Saint Andrew's, and their children were baptized and confirmed there. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in speech pathology and audiology from Penn State and works as a special education instructional paraprofessional for the State College Area School District.
Sue Stephenson, Treasurer
treasurer@standrewsc.org
Sue came to Saint Andrew’s — and the choir — in 1981 and has been the treasurer since 2001. She has a degree in music education from the University of Michigan and works part time as a tax preparer and plays cello in the Nittany Valley Orchestra. Sue lives in State College with her husband, Andy. Their two children, Lydia and Gabe, live and work in Pittsburgh.
Vestry
Vestry is the governing board of the parish. Members are elected by the congregation at the annual parish meeting in January and serve three-year terms conducting the secular business of the parish.
One of its traditional functions is to oversee the finances of the church but, along with the rector, the vestry also has a responsibility for the physical upkeep, if not enhancement, of the physical plant. As in many other Episcopal parishes, the vestry at Saint Andrew’s has developed interests in addition to finances and building maintenance. Each vestry member serves as a liaison to a particular ministry of the parish (e.g., Christian education, finance, companion parishes, investments, spiritual life, community outreach, music). In coordination with the rector, the vestry promotes the spiritual welfare of the church and engages in long-range planning. The members of vestry also serve as allies of and consultants to the priest in his service to the church, community, diocese and the national church. The rector is an ex officio member of the vestry and presides at its meetings. The leaders of the vestry at Saint Andrew’s are referred to as the rector’s warden and the people’s warden.