CLERGY & STAFF
Rev. Patrick J. Skutch
Rector​
The Rev. Patrick J. Skutch became Rector of St. Mary's in late April, 2015. Prior to coming to St. Mary's, Patrick was the Rector of Christ Church of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi from 2009.
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Patrick served as Associate Rector for Youth and Young Adults at St. Martin in the Fields in Atlanta between 2005 and 2009. He graduated from The General Theological Seminary in New York and was ordained in 2005. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Georgia in 2002.
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Patrick’s wife Bonny is an elementary school teacher in the Wilmette, IL, school district. Patrick, Bonny, and their children Drew and Charlotte make their home in the rectory.
Rev. Laurie Michaels
Deacon
Deacon Laurie was ordained as a vocational deacon in the Diocese of Chicago on Feb 6, 2010.
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She earned her BS in Languages and Linguistics from Georgetown University in 1974. She received her Registered Nursing Degree in 1981 and her Graduate Certificate in School Nursing in 1996. In May 2020 she received her Certificate in Spiritual Direction.
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From 2010 through November 2019, Laurie served as deacon at St. Michael’s Barrington.
Her diaconal work in the world involved participating in mission trips to South Sudan and Haiti. She worked part-time for Bishop Anderson House as a hospital chaplain at Stroger Cook Country Hospital for 5 years.
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In addition to her Spiritual Direction practice she is a Retreat Facilitator. She currently serves on the Diocesan Commission on Ministry.
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Prior to her ordination, Laurie worked for 25 years as a Registered Nurse in a variety of hospital, clinical and school settings. She lived in India for one year and volunteered with local orphanages.
Laurie and her husband, Greg, live in Palatine. They have two adult children and two grandchildren. They are avid sailors and travelers.
Ligia Pucci
Director of Music
Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, Lígia graduated in 2019 as a teaching fellow with a masters degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington in Seattle. Lígia has served as a conductor, pianist, and organist in a variety of church settings across many denominations, including at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, where they worked with the prestigious youth Choir School, helping establish a rich curriculum in the Anglican tradition for young people there.
In addition to her role at St. Mary’s, Lígia serves as choir and conducting instructor at Northeastern Illinois University and as Associate Artistic Director of Windy City Performing Arts in Chicago.
Deb Kelliher
Director of Family and Faith Formation
Deb Kelliher, a long-time parishioner of St. Mary's, stepped into the role of Director of Family and Faith Formation, in June of 2022. Deb will be assisting the Rector and working with our lay volunteers and parents in designing, organising, and leading our ministries with children and youth.
As a part of her work, she will be helping us with efforts designed to connect the St. Mary's family across generations.Deb brings to us many years of experience. She was previously Director of Religious Education at St. Mary's. She is sharing her time and her knowledge with us on a volunteer, part-time basis, and we are grateful for her energy, creativity, and devotion to this important work.
Many thanks to Deb for her willingness to serve and for her leadership, and to all of our mentors for youth and children, as we seek creatively to guide our young people in their spiritual growth.
Christina Rompon
Parish Administrator
Since November, 2008, Christina has been our full time Parish Adminstrator and is the primary contact for much of what is happening at St. Mary's. Her background in business and communications prepared her for this important role in our Church.