St. Anne’s Ministry Team
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The Rev. Canon Manoj Mathew Zacharia, Ph.D. serves as the Rector of the historic St. Anne’s Parish in Annapolis, MD. He is a graduate of Vassar College, The General Theological Seminary of The Episcopal Church, Serampore, and the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto.
He stands in the lineage of many clergy leaders in the Syrian Christian tradition and is a descendant of the ancient Pakalomattam family of St. Thomas Christians in Kerala, India. Manoj has served The Church in the United States, Canada, and India. His faith was nurtured at Grace Episcopal Church in Port Jervis, NY, St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church, New York, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and the Student Christian Movement .One of his favorite memories was receiving first communion, as a six year old, from The Rt. Rev. Paul Moore (Bishop of NY.)
Manoj has previously served as Sub-Dean of Christ Church Cathedral Cincinnati, Rector of St. Paul’s and Resurrection (Diocese of Newark) and in various parishes as licensed by various churches in communion with the See of Canterbury - the Anglican Church of Canada, Church of South India, and the Mar Thoma Church. He has served as a Deputy to General Convention, a member of the Standing Committee for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, ecumenical and interfaith deputy for the Diocese of Southern Ohio, and inaugural co-chair of the Cincinnati Festival of Faiths.
Among Manoj’s theological interests are: Syriac Christianity, New Comparative Theology, patristic theology and the evangelical tradition within the Anglican Communion. Among his life experiences are working in politics, congressional constituent affairs, business-economic development, and on a venture capital fund. He also had stints as a lecturer in philosophy, English, and Anglican theology. Manoj completed a Fellowship at the prestigious Hartman Institute through the Christian Leadership Initiative sponsored conjointly by Hartman and the American Jewish Committee. His ultimate blessings are to be married to Joelle, an English teacher, and parent Abigail and Johan.
The Rev. M. Dion Thompson
Senior Associate
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The Rev. M. Dion Thompson serves as Associate Priest for Pastoral Care. He brings great gifts and passion for pastoral care as well as experience and interest in other areas of priestly ministry in the parish. The Rev. Thompson is passionate about studying God’s word, proclaiming the Christian message and caring for God’s people. So, it’s no surprise to him that the Holy Spirit has brought him to serve in the pastoral ministry of St. Anne’s.
Dion received his M.Div. from the General Theological Seminary in New York City in 2007 and was ordained to the diaconate in June 2007. He was ordained to the priesthood on Jan. 26, 2008, the feast day of Timothy and Titus, companions of St. Paul. Before taking up the priest’s collar, he enjoyed a 20-year career in journalism, working for The Baltimore Sun, The Miami Herald and The Hartford Courant. He started his career in Hartford as a night police reporter and went on to cover a wide variety of news beats, including the state prison system in Connecticut, the neighborhoods of Little Haiti and Liberty City in Miami, and the state legislature in Maryland. Born in Los Angeles, California, he holds a B.A. in English from California State University, Long Beach, and an M.F.A. in Professional Writing and Publishing from the University of Southern California. His novel, Walk Like A Natural Man, was published in 2003. During the past year he has written several articles for the Episcopal News Service and the Episcopal Journal.
He and his wife, Jean, also a former journalist, have been blessed with 31 years of marriage and have one son, Tevin. Hobbies include playing guitar, bike riding, losing himself in the Greek New Testament and listening to music, everything from Blind Willie Johnson to Mozart and John Coltrane. Having been baptized in the waters of the U.S.C. Trojans and the Los Angeles Lakers, he asks that you refrain from extolling the alleged virtues of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Boston Celtics.
The Rev. Dr. Olivia P. L. Hilton
Assistant Rector
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The Rev. Dr. Olivia P.L. Hilton is humbled and excited to be joining the St. Anne's community as Assistant Rector for Pastoral Care. She is a graduate of Wellesley College, the University of Hawai'i/ Manoa, Wesley Theological Seminary, and Virginia Theological Seminary. Olivia grew up in the Episcopal/Anglican Church, both in the U.S. and overseas, and attended an Episcopal boarding school in New England the first year it accepted girls. Her favorite memories include serving as one of the first 'girl acolytes' at the American Cathedral in Paris as a teenager and being a member of the small but mighty Anglican student group at the London School of Economics and Political Science during her junior year abroad. Olivia was a Foreign Service Officer from 19882015, representing the United States in Hong Kong, China, Bangladesh, Russia, and Sweden, as well as focusing on international religious freedom; democracy and human rights; and refugee issues during Washington assignments at the Department of State. Ordained to the diaconate in 2005 and the priesthood in 2006 in the Diocese of Washington, she was bivocational for a decade and has served at Anglican and Lutheran churches in Stockholm, as well a s at Washington National Cathedral and parishes in the Dioceses of Washington, Maryland and Hawai'i. She is a long time volunteer at the Diocese of Washington's Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys. Among her life experiences are teaching at a rural sch ool in Tanzania, interning on Capitol Hill, crossing the thenSoviet Union on the Trans Siberian Express, and working on an Israeli kibbutz. She is blessed to be the mother of two young adult children, and is delighted to be the devoted human of her fifth Dalmatian. Olivia has always been drawn to Christianity's contemplative tradition, influenced by such theologians as the English Medieval mystic, Julian of Norwich, and the American Trappist monk, Thomas Merton. She was first introduced to the pract ice of Centering Prayer over twenty years ago by thenseminary professor and parish priest, +Eugene Sutton. Since then, Centering Prayer has become an integral part of her prayer life. She is drawn to the care of souls and to journeying with people at si gnificant moments in their lives, in times of great joy as well as moments of deep sorrow. In her book 'Revelations of Divine Love', Julian wrote, "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." Merton once commented, "Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life ourselves alone Olivia's prayer for St. Anne's, as we begin our m-we find it with another." inistry together, is that we may walk in love, as Christ loved us, honoring this congregation's r and Graceich history and embracing a Spiritfilled future.
The Rev. Kathy Shahinian
Deacon
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kshahinian@stannes-annapolis.org
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Rev. Shahinian was ordained vocational deacon in June, 2013. She was born and raised in Baltimore and grew up-attending Trinity Episcopal Church in Towson. She holds a B.A. in liberal arts and an M.A. in business and human resources from the College of Notre Dame.
She previously served her first internship with St. Anne’s and Rev. Amy Richter and has “wonderful memories” of making baptismal banners, holiday food drives, and the Stanton Center among many others. From 2012 to May, 2016 she served at St. Martin’s in the Field, our neighbor in Severna Park.
As a deacon she is called to “have one foot in the church and one foot in the world.” Since 1998 she has worked full-time as a benefits consultant for the Baltimore insurance broker, R.K. Tongue, Co. and, prior to that, she was the legislative director for a public employee union.
Since 2012, she has served as the Diocescan Public Policy Advocate during the legislative session and she is currently enrolled at the Ecumenical Institute where she is pursuing a Masters in Theology. She and her husband, George, live in Crofton, Maryland with Chance the Golden and Serena the Alpha Schnauzer.
The Rev. Corby Zeren, Ret.
Deacon, Retired
The Rev. John T. Smith
Pastoral Associate
St. Anne’s Music
J. Ernest Green
Director of Music
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J. Ernest Green is the Music Director of St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, the Artistic Director of Live Arts Maryland and the Music Director of the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra and Annapolis Chorale. He served as a Cover Conductor with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he worked with such artists as Metropolitan Opera star Denyce Graves, Sir James Galway, Pinchas Zuckerman, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Osmo Vanska among others. He received acclaim for conducting the National Symphony Orchestra for a subscription weekend with a last-minute call when Bill Conti was unable to appear – he had less than 20 minutes to prepare and conduct an entirely new program!
As a Pops Conductor, Mr. Green regularly worked with and conducted for the late Marvin Hamlisch. In January 2013, he conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s tribute to Mr. Hamlisch, featuring Idina Menzel, Robert Klein and Lucie Arnaz, Maria Friedman, Brian D’Arcy James and Klea Blackhurst. In fall 2012, he was the Musical Advisor for the Memorial Concert for Mr. Hamlisch at The Juilliard School where he worked with Mike Nichols, Liza Minnelli, Aretha Franklin, Chris Botti, Kevin Cole, Maria Friedman, Lang Lang, and Barbra Streisand.
Mr. Green was the Musical Supervisor and Conductor for a new production of “Sweet Smell of Success” at the Hudson Theatre on Broadway. In June 2013 he was the Music Director and Conductor for “One Singular Sensation” a Broadway celebration honoring Mr. Hamlisch at the Hudson Theatre featuring, in addition to the artists listed above, Donna McKechnie, Marissa McGowan, Matthew Morrison, John Lloyd Young, Stephanie J. Block, Teal Wicks, Capathia Jenkins, Michael Douglas, Bernadette Peters, and Joel Grey. Recent engagements include concerts with the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Adrian Symphony and this fall he will conduct Verdi’s “La Traviata” with the Baltimore Concert Opera. Last season he conducted a new production of “Pagliacci” with Opera Naples.
Known for his adventurous and creative programming as he pushes the boundaries of the concert hall, Mr. Green has created several “fusion” programs combining standard concert repertoire with popular and contemporary music, which he has lead with orchestras both here and abroad. In addition, he has received acclaim for his concert productions of operas and other stage works, among them Verdi’s “La Traviata,” “Sweeney Todd” and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific.” He has also been engaged to develop similar programs for other orchestras. Mr. Green also created a new concert production of “Don Giovanni,” which premiered in 2010.
Referring to his creativity and innovation in and beyond the concert hall, The Baltimore Sun recently said, “Green should be commended for his downright prodigious programming.” Mr. Green has appeared with many orchestras including: The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra with Marvin Hamlisch, The National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, The Florida Orchestra, The Tuscia Festival Orchestra (Italy), The Queen’s Orchestra (at the Aaron Copland School of Music), Cumberland Valley Chamber Orchestra, Annapolis Symphony, the Sophia Symphony and Varna Symphony (Bulgaria), Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Lincoln Symphony, Orquestra Sinfonica Nacional (Santo Domingo), Mesa Symphony, Cumberland Valley Chamber Players and the Trinity Chamber Orchestra (Cleveland). He has toured with the Ballet Arabesque (Bulgaria) the Ballet Theatre of Maryland, MozartFestival Opera and the Teatro Lirico d’Europa.
Mr. Green’s opera credits include the Opera Naples, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Teatro Lirico d’Europa, Boston Aria Guild, Indiana Opera North, Associacão Opera de Brasilia, Boston Academy of Music and the Young Victorian Theatre Company. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1993 and in 1986 made his international debut conducting performances with the Fundacão Orquestra Sinfoni ca de Brazil, Associacão Opera de Brasilia, and the Orquestra Jovem de Brasilia.
Mr. Green is also a Lecturer in Music at Washington College. He is an avid advocate for the arts and an active fundraiser for his own company as well as other community organizations. He has served as a music panelist for the Maryland State Arts Council and has served as an advisor on its Strategic Planning Committee. In 2002, he was given the Performing Arts Award (also known as the “Annie”) by the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County and, in 2012 was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Awar
Larry Molinaro
Organist
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Larry Molinaro, parish organist for St. Anne’s, also serves as harpsichordist for the Annapolis Chorale and Chamber Orchestra. As co-director of the Bach+ series for St. Anne’s and Live Arts Maryland, Larry Molinaro regularly presents concerts of the music of J.S. Bach. In recent seasons these have included performances of the Goldberg Variations, the Art of Fugue, the Clavier-Übung series, the Well-Tempered Clavier, and a series of lecture-recitals, “Dance, Dance, Revelation,” about dance rhythms in the music of Bach. His interpretation of the music of Bach has won praise from critics and audiences alike for being innovative, thoughtful, informative, and “a model of its kind” (Washington Post). Critics have written about his “graceful agility” and his ability to be “both instructive and entertaining” (Baltimore Sun). Following a performance with the Annapolis Chorale and Chamber Orchestra, The Capital wrote that “Molinaro opened the program with a spectacularly rousing performance of Bach...There were times when one would swear there had to be another person at the organ, too: two hands and two feet couldn’t have struck all those notes and produced all that marvelous sound.” About Molinaro’s recreation of Felix Mendelssohn’s famous Bach recital at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig in 1840, the Washington Post remarked that “...the organist’s propulsive, immaculately articulated playing revved the evening to a thrilling conclusion.”
In addition to his performances of the music of J.S. Bach, Larry Molinaro pursues an interest in the art of classical improvisation and is a frequent contributor to music conferences in the research area of 18th-century improvisation practice and pedagogy. In recent years, he has presented at conferences in South Hampton (UK), Salzburg (Austria), Canterbury (UK) and Cremona (Italy). For Live Arts Maryland, he also regularly improvises live scores to silent films including Lon Chaney’s Phantom of the Opera (1925/1929), Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr., (1924) and Cecil B. DeMille’s King of Kings (1928).
Larry Molinaro earned the Artist’s Diploma in organ performance from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and continued his studies at Yale University’s School of Music where he was Frank Bozyan Scholar for Organ. In addition to his musical studies, he earned a B.S. in Biochemistry from Temple University and an MBA in international business from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France.
Facilities and Properties
Mark Strandquist
Facilities and Properties Manager
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mstrandquist@stannes-annapolis.org
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703-850-0561
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Mark Strandquist was born the second of eight children to Colonel John H. Strandquist USMC, Ret and Mary Gabrielle. Mark’s early years were spent traveling across the country to various Navy/Marine Corps bases every couple of years which initiated his ability to make new friends instantly, some of which turned into relationships for life.
His family ultimately settled in Annapolis in 1967 prior to his father’s deployment to Vietnam. After so much moving around Mark treasures his high school years in Annapolis where he attended Annapolis High School and St. Mary’s High School. During these years he worked in Annapolis at the Annapolis Sailing School, Annapolis Racquet Club and managed the men’s shop in the iconic Sign of the Whale store. While attending college Mark began working in the restaurant industry as one of the early employees at McGarvey’s. He eventually moved to Georgetown, where he bartended at various pubs including Clyde’s, The Third Edition, Garrett’s, The Sign of the Whale, ending at The Palm. These popular places were magnets for attracting political and social celebrities of the day which lent to growing Mark’s ability to connect and converse with nearly anyone he met. With these his natural extraversion and newly forming business development skills, he stepped into the commercial real estate development, design, and furnishings’ world, where he served for many years in multiple sectors from a VP level of leadership.
Mark is blessed with three sons and a daughter and in 2014 married Pam Frett Strandquist who merged her son and three daughters with his gang to create one mix bag of nonstop hilarious chaos. They are now empty nesters enjoying the magical peninsula of Arundel on the Bay in Annapolis.
Mark & Pam love to laugh, ride bikes, sail, hike, and listen to music (classical, Bossa nova, jazz, rock & roll, etc). They love to read and often read through books out loud together, the first one being The Princess Bride. They love diving into authors such as C.S. Lewis, Jemar Tisby, Thich Nhat Hanh, Marcus Aurelius, Eckhart Tolle, Don Miguel Ruiz, Rob Bell, Rachel Held Evans, and J.R.R. Tolkien. His current favorite is Will Guidara’s “Unreasonable Hospitality” which speaks of thinking creatively and serving all people beyond what would seem reasonable, leaving all you encounter feeling blessed and thankful by the experience.
Mark is filled with excitement for this precious opportunity to serve every one of you.
St. Anne’s Administration
Caleb Briggs
Communications Assistant
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Caleb has been the Communications Assistant for St. Anne’s since October of 2022. He is currently an undergraduate at St. John’s College and has also been a parishioner of St. Anne’s since 2021. A New England native and son of two Episcopal priests, Caleb was drawn to a familiar community in an unfamiliar setting. He’s now settled in and loves living in Annapolis (but still prefers spending the summer in Maine). At St. John’s, Caleb studies what all other Johnnies study: philosophy, mathematics, science, music, Ancient Greek, and French. His current favorite book is Hans Driesch’s The Science and Philosophy of the Organism.
Linnea Williams
Office Assistant
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Nancy Pollack is honored and excited to be joining St. Anne’s Parish as the Parish Administrator. She is a graduate of University of Southern California with a degree in Finance. Nancy has been an active member of Preschool of the Arts at St. Anne’s since 2015 where she was most recently the lead teacher of a five day three’s program. In addition to serving at PASA, Nancy has been the assistant Finance Director at St. Martins in the Field School in Severna Park for the past 2 years and is an active member in St. Mary’s Parish.
Nancy was born and raised in Central Ohio. After graduating from USC, Nancy worked at an accounting firm in Los Angeles for 2 years. Nancy moved into banking and worked at Union Bank in LA and First National Bank of MD in Baltimore as a commercial lender. In 1997, Nancy was relocated to Amsterdam where she lived for three years. Nancy’s daughter, Brooke was born in Amsterdam. Upon return to Annapolis, Nancy dedicated her life to raising Brooke and then John, who was born in 2002. Both children attended PASA.
Nancy resides in Annapolis and loves to walk, read, ski and travel. She is blessed and humbled by the opportunity to serve the members of St. Anne’s parish with all the operational aspects of the church. She is excited to meet the members and volunteers and provide assistance as needed.
Nancy Pollack
Parish Administrator, Effect June 1, 2024
Claire Miller
Communications Associate
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Claire Miller is a marketing and communications professional who supported the launch of two medications and two vaccines for Pfizer and Wyeth. Sailors for 21 years, she and her husband Rich relocated from the Philadelphia suburbs to the Annapolis peninsula in 2016 for his work and to be closer to the water they both enjoy. Since moving to Annapolis, Claire has applied her communications talents to build support for environmental advocacy non-profits and faith ministries, including the Racial Reconciliation Collaborative and St. Luke’s Restoration of Nature. She is entering her fourth and final year of the Education for Ministry Program and serves on the Vestry at St. Luke’s Eastport, her home parish, and sings in the choir. In her free time, Claire enjoys experiencing cultures through cooking and music, visiting her favorite pocket parks in Eastport and Annapolis, and sailing on the Chesapeake. She has alopecia and through her faith, she found the courage to walk authentically in the world.
Program and Formation
Tempest Strunge
Director of Children and Youth
PASA Chaplain
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Tempest’s energy, passion, and love for Jesus is an inspiration! Raised in North Carolina and an avid Duke basketball fan, Tempest earned a B.A. from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, with a major in Psychology. She has a M.Ed. in Counseling from Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts. She felt a call to full-time ministry and was led to an M.A. in Religious Education from Andover Newton at Yale in Connecticut. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Malone University in Ohio. She is engaged to her fiancée Robert. Tempest likes to volunteer in her community, hang out with her dogs Hurley and Addie, enjoys taking road trips and listening to live music.
Katrina Stewart
Director, Preschool for the Arts at St. Anne’s (PASA)