About St. Mary's

Our Rector - The Rev. Michael Pearson

Fr. Pearson has been the Rector of St. Mary's Church since February 2001. Prior to coming to St. Mary's, he was the Rector of St. Luke's Church, Anchorage, Kentucky. He has also served parishes in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Fr. Pearson did his undergraduate work at Duke University and received his Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. He also studied at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) and General Theological Seminary (New York, New York). He is married to Julia and they have a teenage daughter.

Associate - The Rev. Jane Corman

Mother Cornman has been the Associate Rector since August 2005. She came to St. Mary’s after earning her M.Div. at Yale Divinity School. Prior to her calling as an Episcopal Priest, she served as Director of Operations for Messiah College’s urban satellite campus at Temple University, in North Philadelphia.

In addition to the general priestly duties she shares with Father Pearson, Mother Cornman is responsible for ministry to children and families, and runs the youth program. As a wife and the mother of two elementary-age children, these responsibilities are close to her heart. She and her husband, Douglas, have been married for 16 years.

Located in the Heart of Wayne, PA

St. Mary's is located on the corner of Louella Avenue and Lancaster Pike in downtown Wayne, Pennsylvania.

A Short History of St. Mary's

In 1881 George Childs and Anthony Drexel purchased the estate "Louella" and an additional 300 acres to construct a planned community of cottages west of Philadelphia. This plan for Louella, later renamed Wayne, included shops, summer homes, hotels, and places of worship. In September 1885, steps were taken to erect an Episcopal Church.

In 1888, St. Mary's vestry called the Rev. Thomas Conrad to be its first Rector. Dr. Conrad wanted to build a memorial church to his mother and father, and after considering other opportunities decided to build this church in Wayne. His agreement was that he would build the church if the people of St. Mary's would build a parish house. On June 27, 1889 the cornerstone of the church was laid, and in October of the same year the parish house was ready for occupancy. The church itself was completed and consecrated on Easter Day 1890.

In 1893, the Rev. John Moses became St. Mary's second Rector. A parish history compiled in 1956 cites two technological advances made during Fr. Moses tenure - electric meters and steam radiators.

In 1904, Dr. Charles Armstrong was selected to be St. Mary's third Rector. Dr. Armstrong had earlier run a trading post, been a semi-pro baseball player, translated portions of the Bible into Indian dialect and served as a missionary to the Mormons after being ordained in 1880.

The Rev. Dr. W. George Anthony became St. Mary's fourth Rector in 1918. During his rectorship St. Mary's became a "free" church. Prior to this time, the parish had been dependent upon pew rents to provide the operating expenses of the parish.

In 1924, Fr. Henry C. Mitchell became St. Mary's fifth Rector. Fr. Mitchell placed an increasing emphasis on the Catholic tradition within the Episcopal Church.

From 1953 to 1962, Fr. Charles E. Greene was St. Mary's sixth Rector. Father Greene continued to raise St. Mary's churchmanship and emphasized adult spiritual education.

It was during the rectorship of Fr. William Kier (1963-1972) that St. Mary's experienced one of its greatest challenges. On July 14, 1969 a fire engulfed the church. All of the inside and part of the roof at the east end burned. The charred cross of the rood (a large crucifix on a beam or screen at the entrance to the chancel of the church) now hangs in the Fr. Greene Room in the Parish House.

Fr. Raymond Atlee served as St. Mary's eighth Rector from 1973-1999. Throughout his Ministry Fr. Atlee emphasized the importance of parish as family and always encouraged a welcoming, inclusive parish atmosphere.

Fr. Michael Pearson was elected to be St. Mary's ninth Rector in 2001. Fr. Pearson is building upon St. Mary's strengths and is helping the parish discover new opportunities for ministry.