Vestry
At St. Matthew's, the Vestry and Officers are partners in ministry and leadership with the Rector. Vestry members are called to lead, to support the life of the parish, and to participate in caring for and building up the congregation. Some of the responsibilities of the Vestry are to help define and articulate the mission of the congregation, to support the church's mission by word and deed, to select the Rector, to ensure effective organization and planning, and to manage resources and finances. The Vestry is the legal representative of the parish with regard to all matters pertaining to its corporate property. Each Vestry member represents a different population or community within the congregation, so that our work together is considerate of the life of the whole place.
Our Vestry members are elected at the Annual Meeting, each for a 3 year term. Officers are also elected at the Annual Meeting, which is usually in February. Officers tend to serve different length terms, each one plays an important role.
Current Vestry Members
Pam Ely
Warden
Pam and her family moved to Wilton in 1983 from Sag Harbor, New York. She joined St. Matthew’s in 1986 and has been a member ever since. Pam has served as a previous Warden, Vestry member, Newcomer chair, member of the Arbor Committee, co-chaired 3 auctions, and currently is co-chair of the RenewalWorks Team, co-chair of the Pastoral Care committee and serving as the Junior Warden. Her favorite job is being a Lay Eucharistic Minister. St. Matthew’s has been an integral part of her life for many years, and she has enjoyed being involved in all aspects of the church. Pam is the Director of the Children’s Day School, a job she has had since 2001.
Anne Newton
Warden
Anne lives in New Canaan with her husband Chip. They began worshipping at St. Matthew’s in 1994 and Anne was received into the Episcopal Church in our sanctuary in the spring of 1999. Their children, Sarah (25) and Brad (20) attended church school and were confirmed at St. Matthew’s. Anne has served as a church school teacher, as a mentor for our confirmands and by assisting with and directing the Christmas pageant. She has co-chaired our Stewardship campaign, which led to her initial term on the Vestry in the early 2000s and was honored to serve as both Junior Warden in 2014 and Senior Warden in 2015. Anne currently serves as a LEM and loves the opportunity it gives her to play a part in our worship. She was co-chair of the Recruitment Committee as part of our search process for Marissa and enjoyed working with a diverse group of fellow parishioners throughout that process. Professionally, Anne is a physical therapist and currently serves as the lead PT in the Joint Replacement Center at Norwalk Hospital.
Keith DeAngelis
Treasurer
Keith and his family (Jennifer, Caroline, Jack, and Kate) joined the St. Matthew's parish in 2001, shortly after moving to Wilton from Farmington, CT. His children grew up in the St. Matthew's community, attending church school and confirmation class, and actively participating in the high school youth program. Post college, Caroline and Jack continue to sing with the choir, while Kate serves our youngest parishioners in the nursery.
Joe Magnano
Joe and his wife Catherine moved to Wilton from NYC in 1998 and immediately found a church home at St. Matthew's. All three of their children, Alex, Chris, and Sarah attended church school, participated in the youth programs and went on Washington DC mission trips. Chris and Sarah were also in the children and youth choirs. Joe has served as a Sunday school teacher, as a mentor for our Confirmands, and as a member of the Vestry currently and in the early 2000s. Joe has greatly enjoyed the adult education offerings at St. Matthew's and helped organize many of these programs. Joe retired from practicing M&A and Finance law in 2019 having been with NYC law firms for 17 years and with Zurich Insurance Group in the NY and Zurich offices for 22 years.
Pam Carlson
Pam, her husband Tom, and their two boys (Ryan and Sean) moved to Wilton in 2002 and joined St. Matthew’s Parish shortly thereafter. She immediately got involved as a Sunday school teacher and coordinator on the JCCEC committee from Sean’s Pre-K 4’s class until his confirmation class in 8th grade. She co-chaired the annual Auction three times, served on the Vestry from 2012-2015, coordinated coffee hosts for over 5 years, and on occasion, played handbells. She attended Mount Holyoke College (AB), the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth (MBA) and had a fun career in Brand Management and at Revlon for years before retiring to raise children. After years of volunteering for PTAs, Wilton Band Boosters and Wilton Youth Council, Pam stepped back into the workforce four years ago at Wilton High School as a secretary in the Guidance and Administration offices where she likes the 10-minute commute and having her summers free.
Vytas Kisielius
Vytas and his four kids (Andrew, Julia, Curtis and Oliver) moved to Wilton in 1997 and the kids were immediately seconded into the St. Matthew’s choir by Rodney – he has been a member ever since. Vytas served as Stewardship chair, did a tour on the Vestry and then settled in as a Lay Eucharistic Minister. Beth and Vytas were married in St. Matthews in 2007, and Beth has also served on the vestry. He is glad to have served on the board of Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Fairfield County and on the RenewalWorks committee before joining the current Vestry. In his business life, Vytas heads a software company that provides referral management solutions to networks of doctors to help them improve coordination of care.
Beth Baker
Amy Gubner
Paul Reis