clergy & staff

Clergy

The Rev. Andrew W. Foster III, Rector
frandrew@ascensionnyc.org

Born on Long Island in 1944, the eleventh Rector of the historic Church of the Ascension on Fifth Avenue in New York comes full circle to the metropolitan area. Raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., the Rev. Andrew Foster earned a B.S., magna cum laude, from Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. He was graduated from the General Theological Seminary in Chelsea Square in 1970. After his ordination as a Deacon and to the Priesthood in his home Diocese of Washington, Foster was called to be the Episcopal Chaplain at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he served for fourteen years with the Episcopal Student Foundation, better known as Canterbury House. Then he moved to a very different kind of campus ministry as the Chaplain of Kenyon College, a small liberal arts college associated with the Episcopal Church. Making the shift to parish ministry, he accepted the position as Rector of St. Paul's Church in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1993 and spent five years in that challenging and fascinating resort community. Fr. Andrew, as he prefers to be addressed, brings a familiarity with the academic community and a lifelong love of music to the vibrant community of Ascension, set in one of the most exciting neighborhoods in New York. His well-trained baritone voice moves seamlessly from a cappella singing of the liturgy to anthems with Ascension’s renowned choir. Fr. Andrew's flair for inspiring, masterful sermons is known as well. His other interests include needlework, theater, and the crafting of traditional religious icons.

The Rev. Mark W. Hummell, Associate Rector
frmark@ascensionnyc.org

The Rev. Mark W. Hummell was born in Cincinnati in 1965. He was raised in Indiana and earned a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame with a double major of Psychology and Theology. He also earned a Master of Social Work from Arizona State University, and provided brief therapy and crisis counseling to patients and families in both hospital and hospice settings. He was raised Roman Catholic and received into the Episcopal Church in 1997. While counseling hospice patients as a social worker, he was frequently asked by them to hear their confessions and bless them, and as a consequence of these conversations, he entered the process for ordination. He earned a Master of Divinity in 2002 from Yale University, winning the R. William Muehl Award for Excellence in Preaching. After his ordination as a Deacon (in Connecticut) and to the Priesthood (in New York), Father Mark served as the Associate Director for Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York & Assistant Priest at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Father Mark and his partner, Peter Christensen, enjoy the arts as active members of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, and all of the other great offerings in this amazing city.

The Rev. Deacon Anne Auchincloss

The Rev. John Merz, Diocesan Chaplain to New York University
mailtomerz@gmail.com

The Rev. Donald R. Goodness, Rector emeritus

Parish Staff

Dennis Keene, D.M.A., Organist & Choirmaster
denniskeene@ascensionnyc.org

Dennis Keene is Artistic Director and Conductor of New York's Voices of Ascension Chorus & Orchestra. He is also Organist and Choirmaster of Church of the Ascension and a member of the faculty of Manhattan School of Music. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Chorus America and has served on the Choral Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts. In addition, he has given numerous workshops and master classes on conducting and on choral music.

Vince Amodei, Parish Bookkeeper
vince@ascensionnyc.org

Lenford Bowman, Sexton

Carolyn Braden, Choir Assistant

Candice Corrigan, Seminarian Intern

G. Jan Jones, Choir Librarian

Denise Kelly, Parish House Receptionist
denise@ascensionnyc.org

Nick Limansky, Parish Administrator
nick@ascensionnyc.org

Edmond McKenzie, Assistant Sexton

Jennifer Passard, Nursery Caregiver