The Rev. Robyn J. Szoke, Associate Rector

Email: rszoke@stjohnscarlisle.org

The Rev. Robyn J. Szoke was called to St. John’s in September 2004 and serves as Associate Rector. Mo. Robyn is a native of northeast Pennsylvania. She graduated from West Chester State University and taught in public schools for a number of years. She and her family were members of the Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Discerning a call to the ordained ministry, she was sponsored for ordination by the Diocese of Bethlehem and prepared for ordination at the Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem and then at the General Theological Seminary in New York. She also received a Master’s Degree from Lehigh University.

Ordained to the Deaconate in 1988 and to the Priesthood on January 17, 1989, she served congregations in Allentown, Wilkes-Barre and Pottstown before accepting a call to serve on the Bishop’s Staff of the Diocese of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) in 1995 where she was responsible for Children’s Ministries and the Diocesan Resource Center. Then the Presiding Bishop called Mo. Robyn in 1999 as Staff Officer for Children’s Ministries and Christian Education on his staff at the National Church Center in New York City. In that capacity, she traveled extensively around the Episcopal Church and aboard, consulting with dioceses and congregations and offering support and advocacy for life long learning and formation. She also coordinated the development of the Children’s Ministry Center for the General Conventions of 1997, 2000, and 2003.

Mo. Robyn continues to be a widely sought consultant for developing life long Christian Education in congregations and in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. Her publications include, “Educational Inquiry”, “Will Our Faith Have Children?” and “The Prayer Book Guide to Christian Education”, in addition to developing and publishing resources for children, such as "Treasure Magazine"

In the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania she has served on the Discernment Committee for Calling a New Bishop, the Diocesan Communication Task Force, and the Children’s Ministry Department. At St. John’s she has been the clergy mentor to the Pastoral Ministries Commission as well as the Youth and Children Ministries Committees and served as the primary resource for parish Strategic Mission Planning in 2007.

She is a mother and grandmother and enjoys bicycling, reading, and grand parenting in her "off time"!