St. Richard's Clergy and Staff

The Rev. Dr. Thomas A. Downs

Rector

Tom Downs became rector of St. Richard’s in mid-October, 2004, after a year and a half of retirement.

Tom was ordained in the Roman Catholic Church in 1964. He continued working for that Church as Diocesan Director of Youth Ministry in the dioceses of Davenport, IA, and Orlando after being married to his lovely wife, Bernice in 1970. In 1978 he became Executive Director of the Florida Council of Churches, and was received into the Episcopal Church by Bishop William Folwell in 1982.

He served the Cathedral of St. Luke for three years as Canon Educator, and then became Canon to the Ordinary for seven years under Bishops William Folwell and John Howe. In 1992 he became rector of St. Paul’s Church in Albany, GA until his 2003 retirement.

Tom has been a professional consultant in organization development in church systems for many years, including training and licensing by Scott Peck in community building. He has taught courses at five universities and led many workshops throughout the country, and has served as a General Convention Deputy, Diocesan Board Member, and member of the boards of Canterbury Conference Center, Institute for Christian Studies. He has authored four books in the area of ministry.

Tom has a B.A. in Philosophy; M. Div. in Theology; M.A. in Church History; M.A. in Christian Spirituality and Formation (Notre Dame); and a D. Min in Spirituality and Church Systems (Graduate Theological Union, San Francisco).

Tom and Bernice have three adult children, Anne, Michael, and Sara, and 5 lovely grandchildren!

The Rev. Dr. Leander "Lee" Ecola

Associate Rector

Rev. Dr. Leander "Lee" Ecola. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. During studies, worked in an auto plant (assembler), at the Detroit Housing Commission (client interviewer), and in a shoe factory (warehouseman).

Graduated from Wayne St. U. (Detroit), B.A.; Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo, Ont.), M.Div.; University of Pittsburgh, M.Ed.; Notre Dame University, M.A. (Liturgical Studies); University of Ottawa (Ont,), Ph.D. (Worship and Sacramental Theology).

Following ordination, served parishes in and around Pittsburgh, and at Youngstown, Ohio. Moved to Florida in 1991, to minister in a downtown Orlando congregation.

Extra-parochial participation has included specialized youth programs (including drug and alcohol awareness), ecumenical clergy groups, bishop's district ecumenical representative, denominational worship committees, retirement home board member, and Rotary Club president (and Paul Harris Fellow).

Retired from full-time ministry in 2001. A lifelong Lutheran. Now serving St. Richard's Church part time, as associate priest, under the license of Bishop John Howe.

I have active roles in this church's worship life (preaching, leading worship, and training/coordinating our lay worship volunteers), adult teaching and pastoral ministry. This exciting and rewarding chapter in my life has been made possible by the establishing of "Full Intercommunion," between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America --through which both denominations grant full recognition to each other's members and clergy.

My loves are: My wife dear Janet (who works for a major banking software company), visiting the children and grandchildren, listening to music (& often humming along), Notre Dame "Fighting Irish" and Pittsburgh "Steelers" football, travel to new places, and films (particularly good comedies).

Linda J. Brondsted

Archdeacon, Diocese of Central Florida

Director of Pastoral Care

Church School Director

 Linda was raised up as a deacon at St. Richard’s, set apart for ministry in servant leadership and for a specialized ministry among the poor, the weak, the sick and the lonely. 

Working in a Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Winston-Salem, NC, she saw firsthand the need for someone, a chaplain, to walk alongside a family with a sick child, to provide spiritual support, a pastoral presence, listening and perhaps prayer; someone to walk into their world, their pain, and to bring hope, somehow.   In 1974, she felt such a call to hospital chaplaincy in a children’s hospital. 

 When she arrived at St. Richard’s in 1981, she  had shared this call with only a few people, and every time she  did, she  wept, so strong was it.  The people of St. Richard’s gathered round and supported her through the discernment and education process, and she  was ordained at St. Richard’s in March of 1986. In 1988, she  don’t know how she  would have gotten through the hospitalization of her son Frits without the care and concern from members of this church; this parish holds a special place in her heart!

she has been chaplain to Pediatrics at Orlando Regional Medical Center and later, to Arnold Palmer Hospital; she currently serve as one of the trauma chaplains.  In addition, she serves our great diocese as archdeacon and dean of the Institute for Christian Studies. In these roles she has the profound privilege to participate in the lives of others, to walk alongside folks as they travel tough journeys with family members, and with others as they seek and often find the ministry to which God has called them, and to see the difference that discovery can make in their lives and in the lives of those among whom they live and work and worship. she has been given incredible opportunities and adventures:  leading a workshop on the diaconate in Geneva Switzerland,  assisting refugees at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center, housed at St Paul’s Within-the-Walls in Rome, Italy in June 2004, and serving as president of the North American Association for the Diaconate.

 She is thankful to be – once again – at St. Richard’s!

Aileen Pallister Walther

Deacon

     Since January of 2004, The Rev. Aileen Pallister Walther, Deacon, has been assigned by the Bishop to St. Richard’s Episcopal Church.  Within the church, she assists the Rector in pastoral care, working with the Lay Eucharistic Visitors, serving on the Education Committee, and at the altar as a Deacon.  Weekly at St. Richard’s, she officiates at Morning Prayer on Fridays and leads the Bible Study on Women Group.  She is the primary author of Writing Your Life Story with God as Your Guide and six booklets on Christian journal writing and women in Scripture.

    Deacon’s Aileen’s primary ministry outside the church and with parishioners at St. Richard’s is as director of the Center for Christian Women’s Spirituality, a ministry started at Holy Family Episcopal Church and explored under the auspices of Archdeacon Linda Brondsted at the Institute for Christian Studies.  Once strong enough to stand on its own, Archdeacon Brondsted encouraged the Center to enter the larger world, where it now explores a variety of ministries, in various settings.  The group’s subtitle is “Women in Ministry Together.” The idea is to draw women of faith together, from various Christian traditions, and to work with women (and men) on matters brought to us by our Divine Leader and His servants on the earth. This goal is lived out by sponsoring workshops, offering retreats, fostering a prayer ministry (the Priscilla Prayer Group for the Family) in Lake Mary, and raising money for the Homeless Fund, the $7 Plus Domestic Violence Fund, and the new Publishing Fund.  Currently, we collect toilet items, socks and funds for hard boiled eggs for the homeless, and canned food for the Lisa Merlin House, a recovery center for women dealing with substance abuse.

   One of Deacon’s Aileen’s newest roles is as a liaison between the Center and other faith communities.  She visits a different church monthly and attempts to learn more about different faith communities and how women, in particular, might work together as disciples of Jesus Christ where we live.  The Center’s Board of Directors has chosen four geographic areas in which to focus for the immediate future:  Pine Hills, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Apopka.  The Center’s  first healing retreat encompassed representatives of prayer groups in each of those localities.  Plans are underway to offer about three such quiet days a year, bringing together prayer groups to support one another and be in prayer and healing for our communities.

Geoffrey S. Shoffstall

Organist & Choirmaster

Geoffrey S. Shoffstall was appointed to organist & choirmaster at St. Richard’s in September of 2006. Raised in State College, Pennsylvania, he received the Master of Liturgical Music degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he studied on full scholarship, studying organ and choral directing with Dr. Dale Krider. Geoffrey received the Bachelor of Arts degree in Sacred Music and Organ Performance from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania, studying organ with Dr. Shelly Moorman-Stahlman and previously with Dr. Pierce Getz, Professor Emeritus. Named a Presser Scholar, he was the recipient of the Theodore Presser Foundation award for the highest academic achievement and musical merit within the school of music.

Geoffrey maintained an active solo recital and accompanying schedule for instrumentalists and choral groups throughout the Mid-Atlantic region before relocating to Florida. Upon arriving in Florida, Geoffrey continued accompanying for choral groups and the Conservatory Theatre department at the University of Central Florida. His solo organ recitals include most notably, National City Christian Church and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and two appearances at the Washington National Cathedral all to great acclaim.

Mr. Shoffstall has served various denominations as director of music and organist, leading volunteer and semi-professional choirs, in addition to teaching piano to children and adults. He is a member of The American Guild of Organists and has attained Choir Master and Service Playing certification from the guild. Geoffrey serves as news reporter to the Central Florida chapter of The American Guild of Organists for the national publication The American Organist and performs regularly in chapter sponsored events.

In addition to music, Geoffrey loves the Florida beaches, swimming, in-line skating, hiking, reading, film, and most importantly his three cats, Natasha, Maguire and Patsy, and the recent addition of a rescue dog, his Chihuahua, Sadie.

Arleen Mindis

Parish Secretary

Arleen has been a member of St. Richard’s for 6 years and serves in  many ministries:  Sunday School Coordinator, Lay Eucharistic Minister, Choir member, and she is a member of the Education Committee. She is also a member of the Order of the Daughters of the King, a lay order whose chief purpose is prayer. Currently, she is  one of the secretaries in our parish office and enjoys helping people and facilitating communication.

A native New Yorker, she attended the High school of Art and Design and Hunter College in Manhattan. She has worked in the newspaper industry and has been a teacher. Here in Orlando, she has continued her studies with graduate courses at UCF and religion courses at the Institute for Christian Studies.

Arleen believes that the day to day challenges of our parish office are always interesting and constantly changing. She handles requests, hosts visitors, schedules the parish for various events and performs a myriad of administrative tasks. She also the produces the bulletin and the supports production of the newsletter and the calendars.

She believes that our Episcopal tradition of action, reconciliation and witness is a beacon for our community and the world as a whole. Arleen finds St. Richard’s to be a loving and compassionate church home.

Deborah Robinson

Office Manager

 Our new office manager is Debbie Robinson. Debbie has lived in Orlando area since 1978. She was born in Toledo, Ohio and has two older brothers and her father who still live in Toledo. Debbie’s family and extended family is from the farming communities in and around the Bowling Green, Ohio area and continued in her family’s tradition and graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1976.>