St. Mary’s Clergy
Fr. Ryan Wright
Fr. Ryan Wright, Rector, churchoffice@stmarysbonita.org, 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
Fr William Faupel
Fr. William “Bill” Faupel, Assistant Priest, bfaupel@stmarysbonita.org, (239) 992-4343
“Father Bill,” as the Rev. Dr. D. William Faupel likes to be called, came to St. Mary’s as Priest Associate in November 2018, and served as Priest in Charge May 1, 2020 until June 30, 2021. “Coming to St. Mary’s is the culmination of spiritual journey,” he said when asked about how he felt as a priest at St. Mary’s. “I feel that all the forks in the road that I have taken, in retrospect, were designed to lead me here.”
That this journey has had many forks is an understatement. Fr. Bill began his pastoral ministry in 1966 as a Pastor in the Assemblies of God in Manistee, Michigan. They paid him $10 a week. “Fortunately, I was able to land a teaching position teaching 3rd grade, so I did not starve.” After a year, it became clear that at 22 he was not mature enough to pastor, so he resigned and moved to Kentucky to pursue an M.Div. at Asbury Theological Seminary, a United Methodist school. “It
St. Mary’s Staff
Ian Mitchell
Parish Administrator
churchoffice@stmarysbonita.org
(239) 992-4343
Sandra Cecchini
Office Assistant
officeassistant@stmarysbonita.org
(239) 992-4343
Jules Wallace
Director of Youth and Family Ministries
youthminister@stmarysbonita.org
(239) 992-4343
Carl J. Marucci
Organist / Choirmaster
music@stmarysbonita.org
(239) 992-4343
How Our Vestry Works
The vestry is an elected group of members who serve as the legal representatives of the parish of St. Mary’s with regards to its corporate function. The basic responsibilities of the vestry are to help define and articulate the mission of the congregation, support the church’s mission by word and deed, select the rector, ensure effective organization and planning and to manage resources and finances. The presiding officer of the vestry is the rector. There are usually two wardens. The senior warden leads the parish between rectors and is a support person for the rector. The junior warden often has responsibility for church property and buildings.
2025 Vestry Members
