The Rev'd John Needham
Father John was born and raised in Michigan. He left the state right out of high school to join the U.S. Navy. He later returned with his wife and daughter to complete his BA in philosophy at the University of Michigan. He has been active in corporate life and has run a medium sized multi-state business. Prior to being the Rector of St Michael's, he served as Rector of St Peter's Anglican Church, Cypress, TX. Fr John also served as Deacon and then Curate at The Anglican Church of St. John the Baptist, Marshall, VA. He attended the Master of Ministry program at Nashotah House Theological Seminary and received his Master of Divinity from Liberty Theological Seminary. He is married with two daughters and two grandsons.
The Rev'd Raleigh Watson
Although his roots are in nearby Jefferson County, Fr. Raleigh grew up in New Jersey, Connecticut, and North Carolina – as a life-long Episcopalian. Completing high school in Hendersonville, NC, he enlisted in the Air Force (during the Korean War) and served as an aircrewmember. After discharge, he completed a pre-dental program and then earned a DDS degree at Emory University in Atlanta. He married Patricia Boyd in the first year of dental school. (Pat departed life on earth in 2012.) He practiced dentistry in in Berryville for 42 years. He and Pat became members of St. Michael’s in its first year (1994) and he was soon asked to study for the Permanent Diaconate. He was ordained in 1996 and served as Assisting Deacon and Deacon-in-Charge for the next seven years. He was ordained to the Priesthood in 2003 and served as Rector until in June 2019. Fr. Raleigh continues to serve at St. Michael’s as Assisting Priest.
Organist
Dr Elizabeth Watkins Caluda
Elizabeth Watkins Caluda is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan and holds degrees from Aquinas College, Northwestern University, and The Catholic University of America. She retired in 2017 from Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA, after 39 years where she was a member of the piano faculty, coordinated the Group Piano and Pedagogy programs in the Conservatory and taught Piano Pedagogy (the art of teaching piano). In addition, she served as Chair of the Keyboard Division. Her teachers have included Thomas Mastroianni, Bela Borszymenyi Nagy, Barbara English Maris, and other fine teachers and players. Elizabeth’s sabbatical projects have included “Impressionism and Its Influence on the Piano Music of Claude Debussy” during which she travelled to London and Paris and “Using the Brain in Learning, Teaching, Performing, and Memorizing Music,” another ongoing passion of study.
She is active in her retirement as a solo and ensemble performer, clinician, adjudicator, teacher, researcher, organization board member, and church musician. .