What We Believe

We are a Christian community built upon four commandments that undergird our common life. We imagine these commandments as arrows pointing outward, in the four cardinal directions, carrying our faith to the ends of the earth. And we imagine them pointing inward, toward the center of our being, toward the center of the Cross.

The First Commandment is to Love.

To love the Lord our God with all our heart and mind and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

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The second commandment is to Grow.

To grow in our faith. To grow into the fullness that God intends for us.

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The third commandment is to ​Serve.

To serve the Lord with gladness. To serve "the least of these."

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The fourth commandment is to ​Go.

To "go forth for God." To "go in peace, to love and serve the Lord."

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Our Staff

As a community of faith we rely on the following individuals to guide us as we seek to live out our faith.

The Rev. Harlon Dalton

Missional Priest In Charge

On November 11, 2018 The Rev. Harlon L. Dalton began a “return engagement” at St. Paul & St. James, this time as Missional Priest-in-Charge.  He previously served as Associate Rector, from 2002-2010.  Between stints at St. PJ’s, he served as Interim Rector at St. Ann’s Old Lyme, Acting (Diocesan) Canon for Mission Leadership, and Priest-in-Charge at Christ Church Cathedral.  A graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School, his first career was as a lawyer and law professor.  He is a Professor (Emeritus) at Yale Law School, having retired in 2010.
 
Prior to his return to St. PJ’s, he was happily retired from the priesthood as well.  He was lured out of retirement by the opportunity to help the parish “re-imagine and re-engage its vocation in new and life-giving ways” by “transition[ing] from a parish that engages in mission to a center for mission that embraces a worshiping community.”  (Letter of Agreement, dated November 11,2018).
 
A self-described “African American male child of God and of the ‘60’s,” he was born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Denver, Colorado.  He is married to Jill Meredith Strawn.  They live in a converted church (formerly St. Casimer’s) in Wooster Square, and in a house by the sea in Matunuck, Rhode Island.  His avocations are many, including making music, writing poetry, and watching UCONN women’s basketball.

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​Tudy Hill

Minister of Spirituality and Aging

I graduated with a BA in religion and a BS in nursing from 2 different universities. While raising three children with my husband David, I taught Sunday School, all ages, for many years. I volunteered with The Gathering Place, a non-profit, interfaith organization in Hartford, CT, where I waited tables in their restaurant and organized an educational program called Beat the Odds (founded by Marian Wright Edelman). I also worked at a large ecumenical church library in West Hartford, providing a variety of resources for any individual and/or group in New England. Our inventory was large, especially geared towards religious and secular educational materials.
 
David & I lived in St Albans, England for a decade, where I studied church architecture, history and art in order to become a regular guide at the medieval Abbey and Cathedral Church. At the same time, I worked at a local goat farm, where I appreciated the physical challenge of manual labor. Returning to CT seven years ago, we settled in the New Haven area, and I became involved with New Haven Reads, Common Ground gardens and St PJs. 
 
When I am not reading, home cooking, or walking, I enjoy FaceTiming with my grandchildren who live in London and Santa Barbara, CA. We sing a lot and read books together!

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​Will Cleary

​Director of Music

Will Cleary is a saxophonist and director of the St. PJ's Jazz Ensemble. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory and his Master of Music degree from Eastman School of Music. He performs regularly in the area  and NYC with a saxophone quartet, and in international jazz festivals. Will has been the Director of Music since 2015.

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More Staff

Wendy McLeod, Parish Administrator
Samuel Rodriguez, Sexton
The Rev. Cathy George, Priest Associate
The Rev. Nathan Empsall, Priest Associate
Andrew Fermo, Assistant Director of Music

Our Vestry

Brian Fillmore, Warden 
Maggie King, Warden 
David Hill, Treasurer
Sharyn D'Urso, Charles Gagliardi, Lynne Severance,
Bill Evans, Sally Fleming, Jeff Lange, 
Claire Cody, Nate Solberg, ​Agatha Zichichi-Evans