Weekly News
Welcome Father Shawn Clerkin to St. Marks!
St. Mark’s Congregation,
The Vestry and the Transition Team are very happy to announce that Reverend Shawn Clerkin has accepted our call to be the next Rector at St. Mark’s.
Father Shawn was ordained in 2005 and has served churches in Northwest Pennsylvania as well as being a retired member of the faculty at Gannon University.
Introduction to Father Shawn Clerkin,
The Reverend Shawn J. Clerkin currently serves as the Vicar of Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Franklin, PA, where he is also the Interim Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church and Priest-in-Charge of C.O.R.E. (Collaborative Oil Region Episcopal) Ministries. He was ordained priest in 2005, and has served many churches in the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania including Church of the Holy Spirit (Erie), Saint Mary’s (Lawrence Park), Saint Stephen’s (Fairview) and the Cathedral of Saint Paul (Erie). During his twenty-years in ministry, he has been on Diocesan Council and Standing Committee, Board of Examining Chaplains, Commission for the Dismantling of Racism and Discrimination, Commission on Ministry, and Diocesan Summer Camp Staff.
Father Shawn retired from Gannon University in 2021 after thirty-two years on the faculty and administration. He had several administrative appointments, including Director of Theatre, University Assessment Officer, Director of Liberal Studies (General Education), and Co-Director of the School of Communication and the Arts.
Father Shawn’s wife, Almitra, is executive director of the Mission and Ministries Foundation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Erie. Their shared avocation has been in civic theatre, working for decades with the Erie Playhouse and the Academy Theatre in Meadville, PA. While they love the musicals and plays they have staged, their best production to date is their talented son, Séamus, the next generation of theatre directors / educators / performers in the Clerkin household!
THANK YOU!
From the Wardens & Vestry:
A heartfelt THANK YOU to our incredible Building & Grounds Team—Brian Harrison, Jim Stillman, Peter Ross, Alan Dewart, Bill Nitterauer, Lance Crawford, and Mike Hanitz—for the time, effort, and care you gave in preparing the rectory for our new priest, Father Shawn Clerkin, and his wife, Almitra.
Your generosity, skill, and spirit of service truly reflect the very best of St. Mark’s. Please know how deeply your efforts are appreciated by everyone in our community.
Thank you once again for your dedication!