About us
Founded in the 1920’s in the midst of a residential neighborhood in Ridgewood, New Jersey, St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church has grown to be a congregation characterized by worship according to The Book of Common Prayer, a vibrant Church School for young people, a love of music represented by three parish choirs for people of all ages, an extensive outreach ministry to people in need, and lively fellowship events throughout the year.
Many of our members are families with school age children; many are adults without children at home. Political views range from conservative to liberal, and the majority of our members grew up in other religious traditions. Normal Sunday attendance is about 150 to 200 at 10:00 a.m., and about 50 to 90 at the 10:00 a.m. chapel service for children from pre-K to second grade. We currently only offer one service at 10:00 a.m.
Our Staff
Rector
The Rev. Andy Olivo
The Rev. D. Andrew "Andy" Olivo became the 6th Rector of St. Elizabeth's in September of 2019. Prior to his arrival at St. Elizabeth's, he was the Assistant Rector of St. John's Church, Lafayette Square in downtown Washington, D.C. (sometimes referred to as the "Church of the Presidents") for five years. He has also served at St. Paul's Church in Chattanooga, TN, and, prior to ordination, at St. John's Church, Johnson City, TN. Andy has experience working in small, mid-size, and large congregations in urban and rural settings, and is delighted to be called by God and the people of St. Elizabeth's to serve as rector. Originally from southern Indiana, Andy moved to east Tennessee to attend college at Milligan University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion. Immediately after graduation, he moved to Sewanee, TN to attend seminary at the School of Theology at the University of the South, where he prepared for ordination and received his Master of Divinity degree. Although not a southerner, he has a deep love of Appalachia. Andy is married to Catherine Outten Olivo, and they have one son, Charles, two daughters, Mary Claire and Sydney, a Golden Retriever-Dachshund rescue named Beau, and a Boston Terrier named Quincy. Andy enjoys spending time with his family, going to live theatre and concerts, collecting manual typewriters, learning about his favorite president (John Adams), watching baseball, reading The New Yorker, and listening to podcasts.
Director of Finance & Administration
Grace Arscott
Grace has worked at St. Elizabeth’s for the past five years as the Financial Administrator. Prior to working at St. E’s she held various banking and financial services industry positions in Audit and Executive Compensation. Grace earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from St. John’s University. She resides in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ with her husband Vincent and three college age children, Colin, Julia and Emily.
Associate Choirmaster
Catherine Hostetler
Catherine LeDuc Hostetler, Associate for Children's Choirs, began playing piano and composing music at age six, and has sung in choirs since she could walk. A native of Los Angeles CA, she received a Bachelor's degree in Church Music and a Master's degree in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College, where she studied with Joseph Flummerfelt, hymnologist Erik Routley, and Children's Choir specialist Helen Kemp. She leads the Children's Choirs at St. Elizabeth's, provides musical support for the Christian Education department and the Children's Chapel, and assists Garah Landes in his Senior Choir ministry. Formerly a professor of Music Theory, Composition, and Music History at Caldwell College in New Jersey, she continues to be active as a composer, and has a lively piano studio. She is passionate about gardening, about kids learning to read music, is a digital graphics and interior design wonk, and frequently rearranges all the furniture in her house. She and her husband, tenor soloist Gregory Hostetler, are the happy parents of a cat named Neko.
Communications & Facilities Coordinator
Ryan Pettit
Ryan Pettit joined the St. Elizabeth’s staff and community in May 2022 as the Communications Coordinator. Prior to coming to St. Elizabeth’s, Ryan was a Freelance Graphic Designer and electrician assistant in Waldwick, NJ. Ryan graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey with a degree in Communications Arts and a concentration in Visual Arts Ryan is part time at St. Elizabeth's and also works part time doing Graphic Design, Illustration, and photography for rpettitdesigns.com, his own business he runs from home. Ryan lives in Wyckoff with his two dogs, Auggie and Abby, is a volunteer firefighter, and a huge fan of the Jets and Yankees.
Assistant Rector
The Rev. Melina Dezhbod
Melina Dezhbod holds a BSW and MSW from the University of Saint Joseph. As an LMSW, her calling to ordained ministry led her to the Virginia Theological Seminary, where she earned her MDIV. She was subsequently ordained as an Episcopal Priest in the Diocese of Connecticut. Over the years, her experiences in social work and ministry have encompassed diverse roles, including working with hospice, facilitating dual mental health and substance use groups, and assisting young adults navigating college. At the core of her work is a deep commitment to love and walking alongside individuals on their life journeys. This commitment is evident in her completion of the first unit of CPE at Bridgeport Hospital and a subsequent year of residency at Danbury Hospital. Previously, Melina served as a staff chaplain at St. Francis hospital in Hartford CT. Coming from the Diocese of Connecticut, where she was raised and felt her calling; Melina also served as the missional curate at the Church of the Holy Spirit in West Haven, CT, and as an Priest Associate in Westport, CT. Melina arrives in NJ with her energetic Golden Doodle, Baxter. She loves spending time with her nieces and nephew, who mean the world to her. Melina also enjoys being in nature, praying by the ocean, trying new foods, and dancing.
Organist and Choirmaster
Garah Landes
GARAH LANDES has been the Organist and Choirmaster at St. Elizabeth’s since 2004. Garah is also a pianist, composer, arranger and teacher. A native of Westchester County, NY, Garah made a critically acclaimed New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall as the first-prize winner of the Artists International Competition. His debut recording, music of Liszt, Shostakovich, and Prokofiev, was released on the Stradivari Classics label. KOCH International Classics released his CD devoted to American composers Charles Griffes and Edward MacDowell. In 1997, Garah and his brother, Gregory Landes formed the Piano and Percussion duo, Synchronicity, for which Garah has composed numerous works, including the Royal Banners, and the Double Concerto which premiered in New York. In 2019, Synchronicity gave the U.S. premier of the Double Concerto for Piano, Percussion and Strings, “Illumination” by Kevin Lau. Garah and Gregory began a series of collaborations with the Grammy-award winning clarinetist, Paquito D’Rivera. Concerts include Symphony Space, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival. Synchronicity premiered their Stravinsky/Trio project with Paquito D’Rivera. European debut at the Incontri in Terra di Sienna Chamber Festival. American debut at the Moab Music Festival. Garah is a core member of the Pit Stop Players in New York, a large chamber group devoted to commissioning new music in the contemporary classical and jazz genres. Garah has been a soundtrack recording artist, piano coach and hand doubler for the HBO series “The Undoing,” the Amazon series, “The Hunt,” and the upcoming Showtime series, “FLOTUS.” Master of Music, Manhattan School of Music.
Associate for Children, Youth, and Family Ministries
Beth Van Emburgh
Beth Van Emburgh joined St. Elizabeth's in October 2021 as the Associate for Children, Youth and Family Ministries. Born and raised in Ridgewood (right here in the St. E's neighborhood!), she lived in the DC area for almost 20 years before returning to New Jersey with her two daughters, Emily and Julia. As a graduate of Gettysburg College, Beth is very interested in history and often volunteers for various local preservation groups, including the Historic Preservation Commission of Wyckoff. Beth has long worked with children both as a teacher and volunteer, and is very involved with Girl Scouts.
Sexton
Fredy Reyes
Fredy Reyes has served as St. Elizabeth’s Sexton since 2020. Born in Mexico, he came to the United States in 2006 and currently lives in Montvale with his wife, Judy, and daughter, Ackerley.
SOLOISTS
Bass Soloist
Anthony Alberti
Anthony Alberti has been working as the bass section leader for St. Elizabeth's senior choir since 2016. He majored in music at Duke University, and received his Masters of Music in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance at Westminster Choir College. Since then, he has performed with various New Jersey companies, such as the Princeton Festival, Opera MODO, Eastern Opera, and Light Opera of New Jersey. Anthony is an active member of the Civic Chorale and Sonare groups under the Continuo Arts Foundation. He performed the role of Eisenstein in a concert version of Die Fledermaus put on by the Minuetto Music Festival, where he was also given a Rising Star Award. Most recently, he was one of the soloists for Monteverdi's Gloria a 7, performed at Carnegie Hall under the baton of John Rutter.
Soprano Soloist
Anastasia Swope
A native of Manhattan, ANASTASIA ELLANNA SWOPE, soprano, has been singing choral music, recital repertoire, and oratorio in the tri-state area for the past thirty years. She sang her first service at St. Elizabeth’s on Christmas Eve of 1991, and instantly found a home here. As Adjunct Professor of Voice, Anastasia has been on the faculties of the John J. Cali School of Music of Montclair State University (since 2004), Kean University (since 2018), William Paterson University (1996 - 2011), and The New Jersey City University (1997 - 2004), where she has taught Vocal Methods, Vocal Pedagogy, Art Song Literature, and English, German, Italian and French Lyric Diction, as well as Applied Voice at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Former students have gone on to perform with Hong Kong Opera, the Big Apple Circus, and Broadway’s High School Musical, and The Lion King. A passionate champion of Art Song, recital tours have taken Anastasia to Florida, the midwest, and the Universities for which she teaches. She has been privileged to sing choral music under the batons of maestros Jacques Lacombe, Neeme Järvi, Zdeneck Macal, Robert Spano, and Joseph Flummerfelt, with The Philadelphia Orchestra and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Anastasia’s undergraduate years were spent at the Episcopal college, Sewanee (The University of the South) where she double majored in Latin and Music. She then attended Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Adele Addison. She holds a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College, studying with Lindsey Christiansen and Glenn Parker. She maintains a private voice studio at her home in New Milford.
Mezzo-soprano Soloist
Alicia Luick
Mezzo-soprano Alicia Luick, is currently the alto soloist and section leader at St. Elizabeth’s. Graduate of the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, OH, Alicia has been singing for audiences world-wide for twenty-five years. Most notably, while performing with the New Jersey Choral Society, Alicia was the alto soloist in the Haydn Lord Nelson Mass and the Mozart Requiem at the International Haydn Festival in Vienna, Austria (2009). She performed Rutter’s Mass of the Children at the Sydney Opera House (2010) and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 at the International Olympic Festival in London (2012). Alicia performs during the high holidays at Temple Sharey-Tefilo Israel in South Orange, New Jersey and is an eleven-year veteran here at St. Elizabeth’s.
Tenor Soloist
Mitchell Hernandez
Mitchell Hernandez is originally from Canyon, Texas, where he obtained his B.M. in Vocal Performance from West Texas A&M University. Mitchell is pursuing his M.A. in Music Composition from Montclair State University, where he studies composition with Scott Davenport Richards, and voice with Dr. Julia Rolwing. Mitchell has written pieces for musical theatre, chamber ensembles, dance, choir, and musique concrete. Mitchell has portrayed roles such as Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, George Gibbs in Our Town (opera), Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Doppelgänger in Monstersongs, Monostatos in The Magic Flute, Marco in The Gondoliers, Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, and Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance.