Fr. Michael Ryan joined St. John's in January of 2020, and we are very honored to have him. He arrived here after 10 years as rector at The Church of the Epiphany in South Haven, Michigan. He and his wife, Susan, now reside here in Kirkland.

Fr. Michael was ordained to the priesthood on December 20, 2009, in that same church, Epiphany. When Michael arrived at Epiphany, the parish had long suffered and were numbered fewer than 20 people: 15 adults and 4 children. Over Michael's 10 years of spiritual leadership, the congregation more than quintupled, blossomming into a vibrant and radically welcoming community.

He describes his liturgical style as "reverent, relaxed, broad church." His joy and passion are found in worship as a time of reflection and awakening. He believes that the Sunday worshiping community is the Body of Christ "re-membered." In other words: the gift of ritual connects us through merciful participation in God's outpouring life and love. Worshiping consciously and intentionally causes us to experience our liturgies as a coherent set of practices that shape us into the image and likeness of God while, paradoxically, making us more fully human.

Trish brings to St. John's a wealth of managerial experience. She has already been a parish administrator, she was the Director of Information Technology for the Human Services Department at the City of Seattle, and she has also been a successful small business owner. St. Johns is truly blessed to have such a seasoned professional and human being of such enourmous talent as our parish administrator.

With more than 30 years of experience and a results-oriented, team building approach, Trish provides St. John's parish with hands-on expertise in the following areas:

• Progressive leadership in human resources and volunteer recruitment/management 

• Organizational, administrative, and strategic planning

• Internal/external communications and marketing

Trish returned to the U.S. just prior to the COVID pandemic after spending 10 years in Cuenca, Ecuador, where she founded and served as executive director of the nonprofit dog refuge, Refugio Del Mejor Amigo. She now lives in Bothell with her son Eamon.

Michael has a B.M. from Duquesne University and M.M from Carnegie-Mellon University. Michael’s degrees are in voice and, during his studies, he minored in both piano and organ.

Michael has served parishes in Pennsylvania, New York, Arkansas, and Washington, most recently, St. Stephen's in Seattle.

Michael feels it is incumbent on him to engage congregations during worship through music. He thinks that people can be moved physically, emotionally, and spiritually by using different traditions of church music.

This position is currently vacant.