Our Clergy

The Rev. Robert William Harvey, Rector

Our Rector, the Rev. Robert William Harvey, joined us on July 1, 2006.  Prior to coming to COS, he served churches in Alabama, Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut where he was active in community and diocesan groups and also helped to build an active Spanish ministry within the parish.

Fr. Harvey (Robert) was born and grew up in Pittsburgh, PA.  He attended college in Florida and seminary in Mississippi, where he earned his Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree.  He spent three years as an ordained Presbyterian pastor before entering the Episcopal Church, being ordained to the priesthood in 1995.  He earned a Master of Sacred Theology (STM) degree and an Anglican Studies Diploma from the Episcopal seminary at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN.

Among the gifts that Fr. Harvey brings are enthusiasm for the diversity of our congregation, love of teaching and liturgy, a desire to build community, and a passion for mission.

In his leisure time Fr. Harvey enjoys movies, roller coasters, and spending time with his wife, Anne, and their three miniature poodles.

Interview with Robert Harvey

The Rev. Peter Schell, Assistant Rector

To say that Our Savior’s Assistant Rector is multi-talented is an understatement. Peter Schell joined our church staff before he was 30 years old, but he brought a wealth of life experience including high school teaching, missionary work in El Salvador, hospital and hospice internships, a 300-mile walking pilgrimage, and service as a juggler in a non-profit circus troupe.

 “I started juggling in high school, in a circus arts class,” Peter said, adding that it was also in high school when he had his “first inklings of interest in the ministry.” As the son of an Episcopal priest, Peter said that he had taken his faith for granted until a high school teacher asked the right questions in a comparative religion class.

Peter sees spiritual formation happening throughout life. “People have a longing to do things, and to do great things. My job is drawing out people’s eagerness and desire,” he said, adding that ministry takes time and also openness to the wide variety of human experience.

Peter St. Gregory Schell grew up in San Francisco. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Religion from Yale University and a master’s degree in Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. In addition, he earned a Certificado at La Academia Teologica Latina.

Ordained to Priesthood in December 2006, Peter is married to his seminary classmate and colleague, the Rev. Rondesia Jarrett. Before coming here, Peter and Rondesia worked in the Norfolk, VA, area as trainers for the Kaleidoscope Institute, a project of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. They now live in Wheaton.

The call to the Church of Our Saviour was appealing in many ways, Peter said. “We were looking all over,” he said, “but then Our Saviour closed the deal for me—the vibrancy of it, the diversity of it, the number of people who were engaged. It was obvious that people were thinking about community and wanting to grow into that.”

Peter brings a thorough knowledge of Spanish and of Spanish cultures to his new ministry. “I have a real awareness of the breadth of Spanish cultures because I have varied experiences in El Salvador, in Panama, and in Spain. In addition, I studied with Spanish-speaking students from many countries at La Academia.”

Peter took time after graduating from Yale for a pilgrimage with his father. Together they walked more than 300 miles through Spain to Santiago de Compostela. His motivation, he said, was to spend time with his father and also to participate in a religious practice that has been popular since the middle ages. “The pathway is worn down several feet into the earth. It was very, very moving for me.”

An award-winning preacher, Peter will bring much to say to the entire congregation. While in seminary, he received the Bishop Malard Preaching Prize and the Fran Toy prize for multicultural ministry. He is interested, he says in starting a men’s organization at Our Saviour. “I started a men’s organization in El Salvador,” Peter said. “I just took suggestions people gave me and ran with them.”