We Have a Rector!

The Rev. Seth Raymond, Rector

From Bill Fry, Senior Warden; and Pat Luebke, Search Committee Chair

The Vestry and Rector Search Committee are pleased to announce the election of the Rev. Seth Raymond as the twenty-first Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Milwaukee.

Seth comes to St. Paul’s from a dual ministry as director of the Hospitality Center and Rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Racine. He also served previously as Assistant Rector at Christ Church Whitefish Bay.

Seth’s journey has been varied, including work with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, teenage girls with behavioral disorders, and as an Episcopal missionary in Taiwan. 

A lifelong learner, Seth has degrees in Sociology, Music Education, Theology, and Nonprofit Management.  His broad experiences living and working with those who are the most vulnerable deeply inform his commitment to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is God with Us. 

In addition to the typical resume items, he continues to play cello as time allows, sweat out the small stuff by cycling or cross-country skiing, and enjoys spending as much time as possible with his wife Lara and children Miriam (10), Hannah (soon to be 8), and Andrew (1).

Provisional Bishop Jeffrey Lee said, “I am grateful to the Search Committee and the Vestry for their faithful, thorough and prayerful work. I join with you all in welcoming Seth as your next Rector. You have called a strong, loving, and wise priest to lead you in witnessing to God’s love.”

Seth begins his ministry at St. Paul’s on Palm Sunday, April 2, at 10 a.m. Please keep Seth, his family, St. Luke’s Racine, and the Hospitality Center in your prayers. You can reach out and welcome Seth at seth@stpaulsmilwaukee.org.


The Rectors of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Milwaukee

  1. The Rev. John Noble, 1838
  2. The Rev. Lemuel Beach Hull, 1838-1843
  3. The Rev. R. B. Claxton, 1844-1945
  4. The Rev. Benjamin Ackerly, 1845-1852
  5. The Rev. Dr. William Arnett, D.D., 1853-1856
  6. The Rev. James C. Richmond, 1857-1859
  7. The Rev. William Ashley Bliss, 1859-1876
  8. The Rev. Dr. John Fulton, D.D., 1876-1880
  9. The Rev. Charles Stanley Lester, 1880-1902
  10. The Rev. William Austin Smith, 1902-1910
  11. The Rev. Dr. Holmes Whitmore, D.D., 1910-1944
  12. The Rev. G. Stoddard Patterson, 1944-1956
    Minister-in-Residence, 1956-1971
  13. The Rev. Gordon Rhodes Olston, 1959-1970
  14. The Rev. Murray Trelease, 1972-1980
  15. The Rev. Anthony C. Thurston, 1981-1986
  16. The Rev. Richard Thieme, 1987-1993
  17. The Rev. Gale Davis-Morris, 1994-1998
    The Rev. Virgil Robinson (Interim), 1998-2002
  18. The Rev. Dr. Amy Elizabeth Richter, 2002-2007
  19. The Rev. Dr. Charles Steven Teague, D.D., 2008-2017
  20. The Rev. Warren Bradley Toebben, 2017-2021
    The Rev. Lane Goodwin Hensley (Interim), 2021-2023
  21. The Rev. Seth Allen Raymond