The Reverend Lee Ann D. Tolzmann, Rector

The Reverend Lee Ann D. Tolzmann joined St. Paul’s as its rector in September 2008.

Prior to our accepting our call, Lee Ann was the rector of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Baltimore, Maryland. Born and raised an Episcopalian, Lee Ann graduated from high school in Glastonbury, Connecticut in 1973 and then entered Dartmouth College, graduating in 1977 with honors in history. She had a career in business, culminating as Sales Director for Discovery Toys, and at the same time was very active in her church, serving on the vestry, singing in the choir and in many other ways. Ultimately, Lee Ann felt a call to enter the ministry. She graduated from the General Theological Seminary in New York in 2001. Between General and Messiah, Lee Ann served as Curate at St. Andrew’s, an Episcopal church in Howard County, Maryland.

She and her husband, David, have two daughters, one living in Seattle and the other in Savannah, and a black Labrador named Tess.

Letter from the Rector

Welcome to St. Paul’s presence on the internet! Thanks for visiting this site. We hope it lets you know that we are a lively, joyful community of faith. Some of our members are lifelong Episcopalians and others are new not just to the Episcopal Church, but to any church. We are eager to welcome everyone, no matter where you may be on your spiritual journey. We hope that you will find our worship to be nourishing to your spirit; our education programs stimulating to your intellect; and, most importantly, our sense of community to be authentic and open. We do not always agree about everything (wouldn’t that be dull?), but we all come together at God’s table and to share great times with each other.

We worship together every Sunday, with two services of Holy Eucharist (communion). All baptized Christians are welcome to receive communion and I am happy to discuss baptism with you if that is appropriate. Our first service, at 8 am, is quieter. We alternate between a service that uses modern language and one that is more traditional. The 10 am service features several hymns and is always in modern English. There are generally more children at the 10 am service. The entire 10 am service is printed in the worship leaflet. We love our Prayer Book and Hymnal, but we also know that “book juggling” can be an acquired skill!

We have a wonderful program for children during the program year (September through May) and we offer opportunities for gathering and/or learning outside of worship all year round. I or my assistant, the Rev. Jim Erwin, are always happy to answer any questions you may have. Please visit and speak with us in person, or contact me by email: LeeAnn.Tolzmann@StPaulsRiverside.org.

We know that God is at work here. Come and see!

May God Bless You,

The Rev. Lee Ann Tolzmann, Rector