Our Clergy
Mark was called to be the Rector of St Stephen's Church in January 2005. He previously served at Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach and Church of the Ascension, Norfolk as well as parishes in the Dioceses of Virginia and West Virginia.
A graduate of the University of Virginia (1980) and the Episcopal Divinity School (1985), Mark was ordained Deacon in 1985 and Priest in 1986 by the Right Rev. Robert P. Atkinson, Bishop of West Virginia.
Mark has been active in Ecumenical and Interfaith work throughout his adult life, serving as Ecumenical Officer for the Diocese of Southern Virginia for five years. He was a Clergy Deputy to the General Conventions of the Episcopal Church in 1997, 2000, and 2003.
Mark and has wife Mimi have two daughters, Sarah and Bethany, and share the rectory with Bennie, the Cocker Spaniel and Jubilee, the Cockatiel. Mark enjoys an eclectic taste in music, crossword puzzles and really does read church history for fun.
Reverend Linda S. Arsenie, Deacon deaconlinda@comcast.net
Deacon Linda is a native of Connecticut, having grown up in Stratford. She attended Bridgeport Hospital School of Nursing where she received her RN Diploma. After graduation she moved to New York City where she worked as a RN at NYU Medical Center. She received her BS in Nursing from Hunter College in Manhattan She received her MS degree in Family Nurse Practice from Pace University and is board certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
After moving back to Connecticut in 1998, Linda became an active member of Christ Church, Roxbury. She served the parish as a vestry member, Warden and Lay Eucharistic Minister. Her interests include healing and contemplative prayer, mission and outreach to the underserved. She graduated from the Ministry Education and Exploration Program (MEEP) and the Diocesan Deacon Education Program. Linda was ordained as a Vocational Deacon on September 12, 2009.
Linda has two daughters, Melissa, a senior at Gettysburg College and Kayla, a sophomore at Cornell University. Her interests include knitting, baking and reading. She makes her home in Danbury with her two cats, Grace and Faith.
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Aaron Manderbach, Rector Emeritus
Dr. Aaron Manderbach served as rector of St. Stephens from 1951 to 1981. He was born in 1912, graduated from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and was ordained in 1937. In that time, his stewardship of St. Stephen's led to a growth from 250 parishioners to over 650. He was an important leader of the Ridgefield community during that stay here.
After a career as Rector of St. Stephen's, Aaron and his wife, Judy retired several years ago to the Salisbury, Connecticut area. Since that "retirement", Fr. Manderbach has twice been Interim Rector of Trinity Church in Salisbury, and once Interim of nearby Christ Church, Sharon. A few years ago, the Manderbachs decided to settle in the Ridgefield area again. Aaron now serves as Rector Emeritus and is often the celebrant on Sunday for either youth services in North Hall or for main services in the church.