John Perris
“My principal ministries are those of a priest, preacher, pastor, and teacher. My primary charge is to assist my fellow parishioners to grow in faith in God, hope in the promises of Christ Jesus, and thus in devotion to God and caring for our neighbors and our fellow parishioners. I pray that – through our shared worship, study and discussion, and service in the world – we nurture our identity and purpose as people whom God has baptized into the Body of Christ on earth.”
John has served as the Rector of the Anglican Church of St. Michael and All Angels since May 1, 2023. Immediately prior to coming to the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia, John served as Canon to the Ordinary of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. In keeping with the vows that John made when he was ordained a deacon and to which John remains committed as a priest, John directly assisted the Bishop of New York. In that position, John especially enjoyed supporting ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, religious orders and non-residential communities, and the work of deacons in encouraging all baptized persons to serve God in the world.
After graduating from seminary in 1998, John served in the United States as Associate Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roanoke, Virginia, as Rector of Christ Church, Harwich Port, Massachusetts, and then as Rector of St. James’ Episcopal Church in Montclair, New Jersey. From 2014 to 2018, John served as Rector of the Anglican/Episcopal Church of Christ the King in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
John earned a Bachelor of Arts in History (“with distinction in all subjects”) from Cornell University, a Doctor of Laws (J.D.) from Yale Law School, and a Master of Divinity (cum laude) from The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church. He also received the certificate of successful completion of the Church Development Institute’s two-year program in Congregational Development.
Even before serving parishes in the United States and Europe, John was associated with a Benedictine order of the Episcopal Church. Currently, he is exploring local ways of learning in community about the Benedictine way of living, which John sees as foundational to the Anglican tradition.
John has been married to Cat for 33 years. They have three adult children: a daughter in New York City, a son in Berlin, Germany, and a son in Vancouver, BC. In addition to their son who is a permanent resident of Canada, Cat and John have near relatives who were born and grew up in Canada, as well as long-time friends who are Canadian citizens. Currently without pets, Cat and John talk frequently about when will be the right time to adopt another cat or dog or both!
John enjoys cycling, walking, foreign cultures, movies, music, reading, singing theater, and travel. While enjoying life in Victoria, John hopes to regain his former near-fluency in French without losing his near-fluency in German and smattering of Spanish.