The Rev. Aidan Stoddart
Associate
Originally from Worcester, Massachusetts, Father Aidan spent much of his childhood in Charlottesville, Virginia. He thus identifies as both a Southerner and a Northerner, and is more than happy to enjoy a platter of raw New England oysters while using words like "y'all." He is the son of a priest and a public school teacher, and has been an Episcopalian all his life. He attended college in the Boston area, where he became connected to the Society of St. John the Evangelist, an Anglican monastic community whose contemplative spirituality informs his own. He continues to visit SSJE regularly for retreats, and will happily talk to anyone about the rich heritage of monastic prayer.
Aidan prepared for ordination at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, where he met and fell in love with his fiancée, the Rev. Peyton Williams, who serves here in New York at the Church of the Heavenly Rest. Aidan and Peyton live on the Upper West Side with a large dog named Henley and an emotionally large cat named Thomas Merton.
When Aidan isn't busy leading worship, writing a sermon, or directing our ministries for children, youth, and families, you can find him reading fantasy novels, writing poetry, learning Old English, or exploring Central Park with Peyton and Henley.