Clergy
The Rev. Andrew W. Foster III, Rector
frandrew@ascensionnyc.org
Born on Long Island in 1944, the eleventh Rector of the historic Church of the Ascension on Fifth Avenue in
New York comes full circle to the metropolitan area. Raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., the Rev.
Andrew Foster earned a B.S., magna cum laude, from Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. He was graduated from the General Theological Seminary in Chelsea Square in 1970. After his ordination as a Deacon and to the Priesthood in his home Diocese of Washington, Foster was called to be the Episcopal Chaplain at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he served for fourteen years with the Episcopal Student Foundation, better known as Canterbury House. Then he moved to a very different kind of campus ministry as the Chaplain of Kenyon College, a small liberal arts college associated with the Episcopal Church. Making the shift to parish ministry, he accepted the position as Rector of St. Paul’s Church in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1993 and spent five years in that challenging and fascinating resort community. Fr. Andrew, as he prefers to be addressed, brings a familiarity with the academic community and a lifelong love of music to the vibrant community of Ascension, set in one of the most exciting neighborhoods in New York. His well-trained baritone voice moves seamlessly from a cappella singing of the liturgy to anthems with Ascension’s renowned choir. Fr. Andrew’s flair for inspiring, masterful sermons is known as well. His other interests include needlework, theater, and the crafting of traditional religious icons.
The Rev. Shelley D. McDade, Associate Rector
mtrshelley@ascensionnyc.org
The Reverend Shelley D. McDade was born and raised in Claymont, Delaware, as a member of the Atonement United Methodist Church. She earned her B.A. degree in Radio/Television and Marketing at Ashland College in Ashland, Ohio, in 1983 and spent the next 24 years working in the marketing and advertising fields while living throughout the United States and the Pacific. In 1996, Mother Shelley moved to New York to continue her career but also found herself growing more spiritually in the richness of all God has to offer in this amazing city. She found a special call to worship in the Episcopal Church and after serving for several years in homeless outreach and other lay and healing ministries, she entered the process for ordination in the Diocese of New York. Mother Shelley earned her Master of Divinity in 2010 from The General Theological Seminary here in Chelsea. She serves as a member of the Eastern Orthodox Committee through the Ecumenical Commission of the Diocese and will continue in her call to serve the city of New York through her work on Ascension Outreach as Executive Director. Mother Shelley has three sisters and extended family and friends who reside (mostly) on the East Coast.
Parish Staff
Dennis Keene, D.M.A., Organist & Choirmaster denniskeene@ascensionnyc.org
Dennis Keene is Artistic Director and Conductor of New York’s Voices of Ascension Chorus &
Orchestra. He is also Organist and Choirmaster of Church of the Ascension. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Chorus America and has served on the Choral Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts. In addition, he has given numerous workshops and master classes on conducting and on choral music.
Vince Amodei, Parish Bookkeeper vince@ascensionnyc.org
Lenford Bowman, Sexton
Carolyn Braden, Choir Assistant
G. Jan Jones, Choir Librarian
Denise Kelly, Parish House Receptionist denise@ascensionnyc.org
Nick Limansky, Parish Administrator nick@ascensionnyc.org
Edmond McKenzie, Assistant Sexton
Jennifer Passard, Nursery Caregiver
Seminarians
Samuel Tallman, Seminarian Intern
Alex Martin, Seminarian Intern