Wardens, Officers, and Vestry

St. Michael’s Executive Committee and Vestry by Class

Executive Committee

Wardens: Ken Merz – Senior Warden, Peg Sullivan – Junior Warden
Officers: Don Moore – Clerk, Miles Borzilleri – Treasurer

Vestry

Terms ending 2026: Stuart Anderson, Martha Babbitt, Meredith Penfield
Terms ending 2027: Kristin Eaton, Anne Green, Anne McKinney
Terms ending 2028: Paul Kneuer, Rob Lacy, Sarah Melcher
Diocesan Delegates:

Ken Merz Senior Warden

Having arrived in Litchfield in the Fall of 1982, I have been involved in a wide variety of roles at St. Michael’s over the years. At various times I have been a vestry member, treasurer, junior warden and senior warden. Throughout the years I have been an active on the Property Commission and I am very proud of the organizational structure we established to keep our arms around the several buildings that the parish owns in addition to the church itself.

I also chaired the capital campaign that primarily funded the stone precast replacement work on the tower and the stained glass restoration of several windows. I lead the major gifts section of the most recent capital campaign (that Peter Aziz successfully chaired) This campaign funded, among other things, the acquisition and installation of the South and East stained glass windows.

My most joyous recent activity was working with Peggy Sullivan and Sara Gadomski to re-establish our traditional colossal puppet Epiphany Pageant. My daughter Ashley recruited family members for the cast and everyone looks forward to doing it again next year.

I am a co-founder and past President of the KidsPlay Children’s Museum in Torrington that has grown into a learning and recreational destination annually for over 60,000 visitors throughout the region. My current role at KidsPlay is the creation of new exhibits. I served as President of the Warner Theater and a director of the Torrington Economic Development Corporation, Litchfield Performing Arts Center and the Oliver Wolcott Library.

I hail from Buffalo, New York and arrived in Connecticut in 1969. I remain troubled by the fact that the sun sets 18 minutes earlier in Connecticut and it is always raining here when it is snowing in Buffalo. In addition to being an attorney I have degrees in mechanical engineering and accounting. Since 1970 I have been with O&G and will complete my 55th year on June first.

Peg Sullivan Junior Warden

Having arrived here via Rochester NY, Minneapolis MN and Waterbury CT, I met my husband. We bought a 1902 carpenter gothic home and discovered St. Michael’s. It has been my pleasure to be able to serve as a liturgical assistant, member of the altar guild, lay visitor, seamstress for our Colossal Puppets and as a dragon lady. When not puttering around the church I enjoy singing with The Waterbury Chorale, spending time with family and friends and our neighbor’s dogs, being outside and lazing in our hammock. Our porch is always open to visitors, human and canine.

Miles Borzilleri Treasurer

Miles grew up in NYC, Buffalo, Washington, DC and Denver. After he graduated from Vassar College he moved to CT and worked for four banks, all as a trust officer and over the last 36 years headed up the trust departments at two local banks. He retired in 2024.

He is married to Annie Hamill (her paternal grandparents and father were members of St. Michael’s Parish) and they have three grown children. Miles has been a member of St. Michael’s Parish since moving to Litchfield in 1988 and has served in various capacities including serving on the Vestry twice, ushering and, most recently, being a member of the Dragon team and chairing the Finance Committee.

Don Moore Clerk

Vestry

Stuart Anderson

Born and raised in Scotland, Stuart came to the US about 35 years ago and quickly established himself as a sought-after hair stylist with salons in Manhattan and Westchester. Recently retired, Stuart joined St. Michael’s after marrying his husband Michael and moving to Litchfield in 2019. He was confirmed in the Church in 2023 and joined the Vestry soon thereafter.

In his spare time, Stuart attends to their homes, is an avid traveler, and spends as much time as possible in or near the water. He is the proud co-owner of a 9-year-old mutt, MacLeod.

Martha Babbitt

Kristin Eaton

Kristin Eaton has been a member of St Michael’s since 2013. In that time, she has been active in many ministries and initiatives in the parish, including three terms on the Vestry, lay reading, serving on the stewardship committee, teaching Sunday school, and volunteering at the food pantry.

She is the Kindergarten teacher at Rumsey Hall School in Washington Depot. Kristin spends her summers in Kennebunk, Maine where she is a member of St Ann’s Episcopal Church in Kennebunkport. She is an avid reader, a lover of ice cream, and an occasional needlepointer.

Anne Green

My journey to joining St. Michael’s Church has been a long one. Having been born in Southern California, I was baptized and confirmed at my Episcopal church in Westwood, CA. As an adult, moving to Chicago, (for 5 years) then to England (18 years), New York City (9 years) and finally to Goshen (14 years) has allowed me to experience various Episcopal, and other denominations of churches. Over a year ago, thanks to Nancy Post, I attended a Sunday service and immediately realized I had “come home.”

Paul Kneuer

My wife Melissa and I were received into the Episcopal church in Hoboken before our wedding in 1998. We moved to Upper Montclair, NJ where we still spend a lot of our time and remain members of St. James church there. We have both been vestry members and readers.

We got to know Litchfield County when our daughter Elizabeth attended Kent School, and we found a country home in Warren, near Cornwall Bridge. We love the tranquility, friendliness, shops and galleries and the chances to just be out in nature.

We had a detour to London in 2016 and enjoyed seeing the similarities and differences in the Anglican Church, and traveling around Britain and Europe. We returned to the US in 2019. and made St. Michael’s our church home when in Litchfield. Bevan married our daughter Elizabeth and husband Doug in 2021. We look forward to introducing their son Hank to the Epiphany puppets next January.

Rob Lacy

I handled commercial litigation as a partner of Sullivan & Cromwell in New York until retiring in 2014. Following retirement, I went back to school and got an M.A. in philosophy at Columbia. I am the president of our homeowners’ association in Cornwall and the Cornwall Foundation, vice president of the Cornwall Conservation Trust, and a trustee of the Cornwall Library. I have been a member of St. Michael’s for more than 20 years and have served as a member and clerk of the vestry. I am currently a lay reader and member of the finance committee. I enjoy philosophy, hiking, and gardening. My wife and I have six children and three grandchildren.

Ann McKinney

I was born and grew up in NYC, and attended a school l for 11 years where Morning Prayer was celebrated every morning, and where I was required to memorize vast sections of the KJV Bible weekly.

With three months of our marriage in 1973, my husband and I found and purchased our little 1785 farmhouse in Milton. I immediately found and felt at home at St. Michael’s, where our son (b. 1980) was confirmed. I have served on three vestries, completed all four year of EfM, taught Sunday School, been a weekly “counter”, a Lector/intercessor, and have sung in the choir since the days of Tom Brown. I commuted weekly to the city for years, where for 25 years I ran a youth orchestra program ( five graded orchestras, chamber music, outreach to musicless schools), whence I retired in 2006 and retired to live in Milton. I am past President and Trustee Emerita of Music Mountain.

I see myself as custodian (not owner) of my bit of land, and am now focused on raising native species of plants in my gardens. After 27 years of marriage, I gave my husband away to another woman, with the proviso that she never give him back. He died recently, making me a genuine widow. I had a stroke four years ago but can still garden and sing (if not much else).

I live with my 3-year old “puppy”, Maddie, (who was blessed by Bevan), and my adopted cat, Blake. Were it not for the watchfulness and pressure from a dear friend, I would probably have a dozen dogs. St. Michael’s is my second home.

Sarah Melcher

I was born in Denver, CO to a 2nd-generation native father who was in the US Navy, and an English mother. They were married in England, as my father was stationed at the American Embassy where my mother was a secretary and where they met. Four years later they returned to Denver where I was born. I graduated from Dartmouth College, and then spent a year at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC helping with a book on the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa Volcano. After a year in DC, I returned home to Denver. A year or so later, I auditioned and got into the chorus of the brand-new Opera Colorado. In 2000, I took myself to London, England, to get a full-time job and was hired by Coopers and Lybrand to help launch something brand new called Knowledge Management. After a year in London, I was transferred to NYC, and after a few years the KM position was cancelled (no longer necessary) and then 9-11 happened. I moved to Torrington and have been here ever since. I have been at St. Michael’s for 20 years or so, singing with the choir. Early on, I helped form a Revitalization Committee to assist the church in moving forward after Jenny left. I later served on the Vestry and eventually as Sr. Warden. I love singing in stone churches like St. Michael’s, as the acoustics are so wonderful, and our organ (and organist) are so amazing. Aside from that, I’m a crazy cat lady.

Meredith Penfield

My background as an Episcopalian includes attendance at William Smith College, coordinate of Hobart College an Episcopal school.  I was introduced to alternate liturgies, music and amazing ideas  by visiting professors and guest preachers.  Remember, back in the day, we wore hats and gloves to church.  If you crossed your legs too many times, you were going to hell.  I lived in Rome for a year and a half during the liturgical renewal in the Roman Catholic and Episcopal Churches.  It was challenging to witness peeling back layers of theology and language to the bare essentials of the Eucharist.   I have never recovered.  I have been a member of St. Michael’s off and on since 1969 and served on the vestry for a brief time before we moved to Florida in 1983.  At different times I have served on the altar guild, lay visitors committee, flower
committee, coffee hour liaison, stocking the always open pantry, bell choir and I help with the gardens here.  I did an extended quarter of clinical pastoral education at Hartford Hospital.

I am a sailor and was a commodore of the Bucks Harbor Yacht Club.  I play tennis, enjoy the Litchfield Garden Club, and a book group.  I have a big flower garden, spend time in Maine during the summer and live here in the winter.  It would be an honor to serve on the vestry.