The Reverend David H. May
Rector
In coming to St. Mary’s in July 2018, David was so glad to be returning home. A life-long Episcopalian, he was baptized at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Tacoma, Wash., just before Lent in 1959. Very shortly after, his family moved to Richmond where for many years they were members of the Church of the Redeemer in its old location on Chippenham Road.
David previously served for 12 years as the rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Kilmarnock on the beautiful Northern Neck. Prior to that, David served as priest-in-charge and then as rector for 10 years at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Richmond’s Oregon Hill neighborhood. In 1993, David received his Master of Divinity degree from the School of Theology at Sewanee. That same year, he was ordained in the Diocese of Virginia and served as assistant rector at the Church of Our Savior in Charlottesville.
David is a graduate of the University of Tennessee (’81, go Vols!) where he received a B.A. in Theatre; he later earned his M.F.A. at VCU (’87, also in Theatre). Before entering ordained ministry, David worked as a professional actor in New York and in regional theatre for some eight years. He and his wife Emily met at VCU (while working on a production of The Merchant of Venice) and were married in 1989. Emily and David have two adult sons, John and Ben. Emily and David live not far from the church with their wonderful pup, Annie.
The Reverend Kilpy Singer
Associate Rector
Kilpy was born and raised in Richmond. She attributes much of her vocational path to her family and her beloved church, First Presbyterian. After graduating from Freeman High School, she attended Furman University in Greenville, S.C., where she studied Religion and Asian Studies. It was in Greenville that she discovered the Anglican Communion. She then went on to receive her Master of Divinity with certificates in both Anglican Studies and Theology, Medicine and Culture from Duke Divinity School. She moved back to Richmond in 2020 and worked with the youth ministry of St. James’s Episcopal Church.
She then joined St. Mary’s staff in September 2021 as the Director of Youth Ministries. And in May 2022 it was announced that the Vestry unanimously and enthusiastically passed a motion to affirm the calling of Kilpy Singer to be St. Mary’s next Associate Rector. Kilpy was ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons as a transitional deacon in June 2022 and a Priest of the Church in January 2023.
Kilpy is married to Blake, also an Episcopal priest, and they have a silly pup named Milo and a daughter, Finley. In her free time, you’ll find her at the YMCA, exploring the outdoors, and hunting for new music or a good book.