Clergy & Staff

The Rev. Noah H. Evans

Rector and Chaplain to St. Paul’s Nursery School
412-531-7153 ext. 11

The Reverend Noah H. Evans, our Rector and pastor, has been with St. Paul’s since March 2017. Ordained in 2004, previously, Noah served as the Rector of Grace Episcopal Church, Medford, Massachusetts and as the Associate Rector of St. Anne’s in the Fields Episcopal Church in Lincoln Massachusetts. Noah was born and raised in East Lansing, Michigan. He is a graduate of Washington University in Saint Louis and The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church. Noah lives in Mt. Lebanon, with his wife, the Reverend Sara Irwin, an Episcopal Priest, who serves as the Rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Highland Park. Their daughter Adah was born in 2009 and their son Isaiah was born in 2007. They have a Golden Retriever (Blue) and two chickens (Noise and Buckbeak). Noah loves cooking, smoking meat, local foods, current events and politics, the intersection of church and society, movies and television and teaching the bible. He was the co-founder of Life Together: the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts Young Adult Internship Program and has served on the boards of a number social-justice non-profits. In 2016, Noah received the first Wallace H. Kountze Community Service Award by the Mystic Valley NAACP for his work on multicultural issues. Currently, Noah is the Chair of the Mt. Lebanon Municipality Civic Engagment Board and serves as the Vice President (Board Chair) of the Clergy Assurance Fund. You can find him on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nhevans827.

The Rev. Laura Di Panfilo

Associate Rector
412-531-7153 ext. 12

The Rev. Erin Morey

Assistant Rector
(412)531-7153 ext. 13

Erin was ordained to the priesthood at St. Paul’s in December 2022. She graduated from the M.Div. program at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in May 2022. In addition to sharing in the pastoral and sacramental leadership of the parish, she supports the ministry of the Social Justice and Anti-Racism and Outreach Commissions, and is developing St. Paul’s Sustainability and Creation Care ministries.

Erin previously served as a lay staff member at St. Paul’s before she began seminary. She also has a B.A. from Rutgers University and a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and previously served as an Assistant Public Defender in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and an Advocate at Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. She lives in Mt. Lebanon with her son, Max, and husband, Jesse. Erin grew up in New Jersey, and loves pizza and the beach – though now that several of her family members have moved to East Tennessee, she also loves biscuits and the mountains.

The Rev. Theodore Somes

Curate
(412) 531-7153 x 20

The Rev. Ted Babcock

Honorary Priest Associate

After 26 years in the business world he attended and graduated from The General Theological Seminary in 2001. In 2009 He received his ThD from the Graduate Theological Foundation/Oxford University for his work in liturgy and history. In 2013 he was named an Oxford Foundation Fellow and continued his study of Baptism in the early church (40-200CE) at Oxford University in Oxford, UK.

The Rev. Catherine Munz

Honorary Priest Associate

I was born in Detroit, and raised in Livonia MI. I am the daughter of a theatrical scenic artist and a stay at home mother. Following High School, I was an exchange student in a remote village in Finland for a year. Received my BS from Northern Michigan University, and my MDiv. from the General Theological Seminary.

I have been married to Bill Phelps for 41 years and we have two sons, Clifton, married to Alicia, and father to two of the most adorable grand daughters God has ever created; And our other son Devon.
In my youth I was basically unchurched, but somehow knew from a very young age that I was called to serve God. I worked in the travel industry for several years before attending seminary. I really enjoyed my travel work, the skills I acquired have served me well in my life and in the priest hood. When the boys were young we heard a life changing sermon based on Matt 19:21, to sell what we had to follow Jesus. My travel benefits allowed me to visit several seminaries to find a good fit. We left our jobs, sold our home and cars, and moved to NYC so that I could attend seminary.

After seminary graduation, I served a parish in Royal Oak, MI., for 4+ years. We left Royal Oak to come to Pittsburgh where I was the rector of St. Brendan’s in the North Hills. After 10+ years in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, I was called to Northampton, MA. to be the rector of St. John’s. Last February after 10.5 years, I officially retired from full time parish ministry. We moved back to Pittsburgh to be near our kids and those adorable grandchildren. Now days my time is taken up starting my own travel company called Free Goose, taking care of the “adorables”, traveling, and genealogy.

Douglas-Jayd Burn

Organist and Choirmaster
4125317153 x 16

Douglas is a native of Richmond, Virginia where he grew up attending an Episcopal Church. He has a Bachelor of Music from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master in Piano Performance from the Hartt School and Doctor of Music in Piano Performance from University of Arizona. He has extensive experience with organ, piano and choral conducting.

Christine Mains

Director, St. Paul’s Episcopal Nursery School
(412)531-7153×31

Christine joined St. Paul’s Nursery School as Director of the program in June 2022. She is a Pittsburgh native who obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Logistics from Penn State University. After working for 12 years in business and having three daughters, she began volunteering and teaching in early childhood education. It was then that she realized her passion for working with young children.

For the last eight years, Christine has taught preschool and kindergarten children. She believes that all children have the right to play, imagine, and learn in an environment full of diverse materials with educators who believe in their competency, capability, and potential. Helping children recognize their strengths and develop confidence in themselves brings her joy.

When not at work, Christine enjoys spending time with her partner and their children, cooking, hiking, biking, and traveling.

Bob Melvin

Youth Minister and Director of 8:45 Music
412-531-7153 ext. 18

Bob joined the St. Paul’s staff in August 2021, bringing a deep love of both music and community to his roles, and having spent most of his adult life in the neighborhoods where those streets intersect. He has a degree in journalism from Penn State University–where he met his future wife when she arrived for graduate school and he, after graduation, had decided to stay and start a band–and has spent time as a writer, musician, and stay-at-home dad.

Bob lives in Dormont with his wife Karen and his sons Elijah and Jack, and they have joyfully attended St. Paul’s since 2014.

Rebecca Oreto

Director of Administration and Communications
412-531-7153 ext. 10

Rebecca has lived in Dormont for many years- she raised her family there and loves the South Hills and its strong communities. She lived in Poland for 5 years, and enjoyed it immensely, but eventually moved back home to Pittsburgh. She started working at St. Paul’s in May 2021, and immediately felt at home. Rebecca has a master degree in history, and spent much of her career running a language and cultural center for international graduate students. She loves music and singing, artwork and drawing, and listening to history podcasts.

Matthew Wachtler

Head Sexton
412-531-7153 ext. 19

My name is Matthew Wachtler, and I am thirty-seven years old. I am married, with three children. I was raised in PA, and have lived here all my life. I currently live in my childhood home. I studied graphic design at I.A.D.T. of Pittsburgh. I enjoy art, music, and woodworking. I coach my son’s basketball team. We like to spend time as a family, going on vacations, and showing the kids new things. My family, and friends are a true blessing in my life, and I enjoy nothing more than spending time with them. My wife and I also feel it is important to give back to our community. We are involved with the Alzheimer’s association, our local library, and for many years I was a member of the fourth of July committee. I also enjoy fellowship with others, and my son and I are in a church dart ball league.