Clergy
Fr. G. Richard Civalier
Fr. G. Richard Civalier is from South Jersey and graduated from Deptford High School in 1965. He attended Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1969. He attended Philadelphia Divinity School graduating with a Ministry of Divinity in 1972. He started his priesthood as Curate at Christ Church, Middletown, NJ in 1972.
After serving two years as Curate, he explored the possibility of serving on an Island in Canada - a mighty big island called Newfoundland. He served sixteen fishing communities spread over the northern section of that great peninsula from 1974-1976. He was first stationed at Plum Point, but a year later He was transferred to the main station of the Parish at Flower’s Cove as Rector. He was the Rector of the “Skin Boot Church” St Barnabas Church. After four years on the Great Northern Peninsula, He decided to get a little closer to “civilization” and transferred to St. George’s Parish on Bay St. George where he served from 1978-1980. The Parish had four Churches.
In 1980, He was elected Rector of the Church of the Ascension in Gloucester City where he served for 28 years. During his time at Ascension he served the family sized Parish with an active pastoral ministry. He involved the Parish in an AIDS Ministry and helped found the AIDS Coalition of Southern New Jersey. He explored and developed with the Parish the Timber-Creek Episcopal Ministry and served along with his parish of Ascension, Holy Spirit Bellmawr, and St. Luke’s Westville. He retired in 2008 and became the Rector Emeritus of the Parish in 2012. He has supplied at various South Jersey Parishes and is the regular “closer” each season at St. John’s by the Sea in Avalon. Father Civalier is here the first Sunday of each month, and various Holy Days as needed.
Rev. Dr. David L. Snyder
Hi…here is what you need to know about me! I am an Episcopal priest, canonically resident in the Diocese of New Jersey. In June of 2024, I celebrated the 38th anniversary of my ordination to the ministry of Word and Sacrament (I was ordained in the Lutheran Church in America in June of 1986). I retired as Rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Mt. Holly, NJ on Sunday, January 27 th , 2019. Prior to my call to St. Andrew’s, I served as Interim Rector at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Pitman, New Jersey from November of 2014 to November of 2015. I am the “husband of one wife” (Susan) and we celebrated our 50th anniversary this past August. I am the father of four children (Joshua; Rebecca; Timothy and Zachary) and the grandfather of eight(five boys and three girls). Susan and I have lived in Burlington, NJ since July of 2005. I am a graduate of Lock Haven University (Lock Haven, Pennsylvania) with a BSc. in Education (May of 1972). I received the Master of Divinity degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. (December of 1985), and the Doctor of Ministry degree from the Bangor Theological Seminary (Bangor, Maine) in May of 1997. Since graduating from seminary, I have served as Associate Pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Pottstown, PA. (1985-1989); Pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Newington, NH (1989-1997); Pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Nativity in North Conway, NH (1997-1998). I began my formal association with the Episcopal Church in August of 2000 when I was called to serve as the part time Rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Bridgton, Maine (2000-2005). At the time, I was the first pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to be called to serve an Episcopal Church following “Called to Common Mission” which brought the Episcopal Church and the ELCA together in a “full communion” relationship. In February of 2008, I was officially welcomed into the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of New Jersey. I also served, for more than a decade as a major gift fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity, International and for World Vision-USA. I am currently serving as a Trustee of Doane Academy (an Episcopal day school in Burlington, NJ), and as Interim Executive Director of Episcopal Community Services of the Diocese of New Jersey.
Fr. Paul Van Sant
Fr. Paul is a lifetime member of the Diocese of New Jersey. He earned a B.A. in Psychology in 1984 from Rutgers University; his Master of Divinity in 1988 from Nashotah House Seminary in Wisconsin; his Master of Theology in Pastoral Counseling in 1995 from New Brunswick Theological Seminary and Trinity Counseling Center. He was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, Animal Behavior Processes 1988 vol.14. Fr. Paul was ordained to the diaconate in June 1988 and to the priesthood in February 1989. He has served in three ministries in our diocese over the past 36+ years. St. Paul’s, St. Wilfred’s and Church of our Savior Team Ministry, Camden 1988-1990; Church of the Good Shepherd, Berlin 1990-2006; and St. Stephen’s, Whiting 2006-2024. Most importantly he is married to Priscilla Lee Van Sant, his wife of 45 years. They have 5 children: Andrew (40), Anna (34), Angela (32), Paul Jr. (30) and Priscilla (27). All five are married and have given their parents nine grandchildren to date, ages 12, 9, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 6mos and 3 weeks. Fr. Paul now serves the parishes of our diocese as supply and long-term supply.