This page is available to the Vicar (she cannot be rector of two churches, but can be rector at St Stephen and vicar at St. Paul)

Displayed below is a recent posting from the Western Diocese website:

WESTBOROUGH – Reverend Mary Rosendale always wanted to be a priest. When she was eight years old she wrote a note to Father Stan Wright, rector of a church in Grand Junction Colorado where she grew up, telling him of her vision for her life. Upon her ordination years later, Father Wright sent back that very note thinking she would enjoy having it, along with a congratulatory note. That correspondence is now framed in her office at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Westborough.

Reverend Rosendale met her husband in the seminary, and they moved here in 2016 with their two children, which allowed them to be close to his family. Her husband is also an Episcopalian priest serving a congregation in Worcester.

She’s also one of the growing number of female clergy in the Episcopal Church.

“We’ve been ordaining more women clergy in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Mass, which is Saint Stephen’s diocese, than male clergy,” Rev. Rosendale stated. “Some individuals don’t know what to call me, perhaps Father or Reverend or Sister, or Mother, but I’m happy to just go with Mary, which I trust is what God calls me,” she said laughing.

She is the first female rector of Saint Stephen’s.

There are still barriers for female clergy, but Reverend Rosendale finds far fewer than there used to be. While the number of female bishops in the Episcopal Church is growing, there are still far fewer female bishops than their male counterparts. It’s slowly changing, though. In Westborough, the majority of clergy in all the congregations in the town are female.

In an unusual arrangement, Reverend Rosendale is also the Rector of Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Hopkinton, which is part of a different diocese, the Massachusetts Diocese. “While I do work with two different bishops, those bishops work really well together,” she said. “The lay leaders of both churches are fantastic, although allocation of time is sometimes a little challenging, but it’s working out extremely well.” Leaders of both congregations want to help people, both churches are stable and growing, and collaboration is the future.

“I came to Saint Stephen’s during COVID, which resulted in all of us in the congregations working together to figure out how to worship and together we built a lot of trust,” Rev. Rosendale said. “Because we have really great lay leaders, I don’t have to do everything myself, and that steady leadership will allow us to continue to grow.”

“What I love most about Saint Stephen’s is that people here do what they say they are going to do,” she exclaimed. “When we say all are welcome, and this goes for both churches, we mean all are welcome.”

“We’re a church that sees God in everyone we meet,” she continued. “We want to walk with Christ together and share the journey.”

Prayer is very important to both congregations. At Saint Stephen’s recently, someone in the church became very ill. Members of the church decided without any prompting to organize a 24-hour prayer vigil, another indication of the spirit at Saint Stephen’s. Church life at Saint Stephen’s includes many ministries and programs, from prayer groups to Bible studies.

In her messages, Reverend Rosendale tries to reflect what happened in the Gospel, the cultural setting, and how it applies to our lives today. “Jesus hung out with difficult or imperfect people, which is good news for us, because he still wants to spend time with us,” she proclaims.

Anyone interested in additional information is welcome to call the church or visit the website at: (www.ststeph.com or stpaulhopkinton.org)., or just attend a service. “Come and see,” Reverend Rosendale says. “If you are curious, please come and see us, and if it’s not right for you, perhaps we can help you find a congregation down the street that is a good fit!”