Parish Staff

Priest-in-Charge

The Rev. Derek Stefanovsky was called to St. Peter’s Grace in 2022. A native of Michigan, he received his Master of Divinity and a Diploma in Anglican Studies from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale/Yale Divinity School. He was ordained deacon and priest in 2019.

While an undergraduate at Alma College, in Michigan, Derek met his future spouse, Katherine Vaillancourt. Katherine is a family medicine physician. In their downtime, Derek and Katherine enjoy cooking projects, outdoor activities, and travel.

Prior to joining St. Peter’s Grace, Derek served for three years as associate rector of St. Luke’s in Darien, Connecticut. Before that, Derek served as interim chaplain of St. Thomas’s Day School in New Haven, Connecticut.

Apart from his ministry at St. Peter’s Grace, Fr. Derek is active in diocesan leadership. He has served on the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut since 2022, and as president of the Committee since 2023. Derek also serves on the board of directors of our diocesan camp and retreat center, Camp Washington.

It is Derek’s joy and privilege to function in all aspects of priestly ministry in both parish and diocesan contexts. He believes in the importance of faith formation and development for all ages as they seek to grow as disciples of Jesus, and is committed to walking with parishes of all sizes as they seek to flourish in their own contexts.

Deacon

Bishop Laura Ahrens has appointed the Rev. Carolyn Legg to serve as deacon at St. Peter’s Grace! Carolyn previously served as the deacon at Grace, Trumbull, and prior to that in several surrounding parishes. She lives in Bethel, and works full-time as a hospice chaplain. It is a tremendous gift and privilege to have a deacon serving with us, as I’m sure you will come to know yourselves. 

Deacons are one of the three ordained ministries in the Church (deacons, priests, and bishops), and they take on a special role of ministry in the community. The Book of Common Prayer defines their ministry like this: “The ministry of a deacon is to represent Christ and his Church, particularly as a servant of those in need; and to assist bishops and priests in the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments” (BCP, pg. 856). 

Carolyn will be with St. Peter’s Grace on Sundays, assisting in worship by proclaiming the Gospel, helping administer the sacraments, and preaching occasionally. You will notice that it is always the deacon who dismisses the congregation at the end of the service, sending us back out into the world. Deacons remind us that, having been empowered and energized for ministry during worship, our life and ministry as Christians mainly takes place during the other six days of the week. It is there that we encounter Christ in others, and in turn represent Christ to others. 

As a deacon’s main role is in empowering others for ministry, and serving the marginalized in our community, Deacon Carolyn will take on a special role of leadership among us. You can expect for her to be increasingly involved in our outreach ministries, in overseeing our ministry to the sick and homebound, and in discerning the needs of our Monroe/Trumbull communities and encouraging us to be responsive to them in Christ’s name.