Fr. Ryan Wright, Rector, [email protected], 239-992-4343

Father Wright is a native of Naples who has lived in Southwest Florida most of his life.  He accepted the call as rector of St. Mary’s in 2021.

A graduate of Stetson University in Deland, FL, and The General Theological Seminary in New York City, Father Wright came to Christ as a young adult and uses his experience as an “unchurched” youth “to break through people’s preconceived notions of what it means to be part of the church. Paramount in encountering the unchurched and churched alike is to speak truth with an absence of judgment,” he says. His pastoral experience ranges from programs for the bereaved and terminally ill to years in college ministry; he brings that work to bear at St. Mary’s.

His goal is “to grow the parish in every way—spiritually, in pastoral care, in outreach to the larger community and in numbers,” he said.

St. Mary’s Senior Warden Robert Foltz describes Father Wright as “a real people person, full of energy. He is a great asset to the parish and to the community.”

Father Wright is experienced in Walking the Mourners’ Path, the Education for Ministry (EFM) program, Christian healing, and a variety of other activities aimed at building community and fellowship.