Rev. Canon Mark A. Weitzel

RECTOR

The Reverend Canon Mark A. Weitzel has been the Rector of Saint Mark’s since All Saints’ Day, 1993. Previously, Mark served as the Associate and Interim Rector of Saint Mark’s, Associate Rector of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields, Winnetka, and Chaplain to the Bishop of Los Angeles. Mark earned his M. Div. from The General Theological Seminary in New York City in 1989. Prior to seminary, Mark did graduate study in Medieval History at the University of Kansas. He earned his B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Mark has served the larger church as a member of the Commission on Ministry, as chair of the diocesan Examining Chaplains, and as Dean of Deanery IV. Mark also served as a member of the board of directors of Campbell Hall, an Episcopal Day School for students in kindergarten through grade 12, located in Studio City. Additionally, for seven years Mark was a member of the board of directors of The Gooden Center in Pasadena, an institution dedicated to helping men achieve lasting sobriety.

Mark is married to Shelley Filip Weitzel, a life-long member of Saint Mark’s. They are parents to Rebecca and Benjamin and live in Glendale with Blue, their English Cream Retriever.

818.240.3860, option 3

 

Susie Fowler

DEACON | HEAD OF SCHOOL

The Rev'd Susie Fowler was ordained a vocational deacon in May, 2008. She has been the Head of School at Saint Mark's Preschool since August 2005.  Susie is also engaged in the oversight of a variety of parish ministries, including outreach, Sunday School and Youth, general ministry and volunteer development, and relationship in Haiti among other things. She serves on the Deacons' Council for the Diocese of Los Angeles; the Commission on Ministry; the Sanctuary Task Force of the Diocese; and the Advisory Board for Communitas Initiative, an interdenominational and interfaith nonprofit organization in Glendale.

Susie is the mother of three daughters (Stephanie, Gwendolyn and Gracie), Chaddles, the dog, and Marilyn, the fuzzy white cat.

818.240.3860, option 4

 

Bill Leeson

PRIEST, ASSISTING

Fr. Bill Leeson was ordained priest in August of 1969. He was rector of St. James, West Bend, Wisconsin until 1981. He then took a sabbatical year to attend the Monterey Institute of International Studies for graduate work in Spanish and German. He moved to Los Angeles and got his state teachers credential and was employed by the Los Angeles School District as a bilingual teacher. He was thus able to offer his services to the diocese without pay and assisted at Trinity Church, Berendo St. and then was priest-in-charge of Epiphany Church in Lincoln Heights until being called to be Rector of All Saints in Highland Park in 1988. He instituted a Spanish ministry there as well as growing the English mass and retired from that parish in 2007 when All Saints had a membership of over a thousand. He has retired happily into Saint Mark's and attends the 8am mass.

 

James Prendergast

PRIEST, ASSISTING

The Rev. Dr. James D. Prendergast is a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, serves as an assistant at Saint Mark’s, and is former Chancellor to the Bishop Diocesan. Jim is also General Counsel emeritus of the Uniform Commercial Code Division of First American Title Insurance Company. He received his AB and MBA from UC Berkeley, his JD from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, his Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena and a Master of Laws (Canon Law) from the University of Cardiff, Wales. He has three children and is married to Michele Zukovsky. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Secured Transactions and Bankruptcy Law at Pepperdine University School of Law and of Commercial Law at Loyola of Los Angeles School of Law.

 

Marvin Bowers

Priest, Assisting

Marvin Bowers grew up in Napa and graduated from Napa High School in 1962. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 1966 and he and Bonnie Kreutzer were married at Saint Mary's, Napa. They moved to New York City where Marvin attended the General Theological Seminary and Bonnie attended NYU and Hunter College. Marvin graduated in 1969, was ordained a Deacon in the Diocese of Northern California and assigned to Saint Luke's, Calistoga. He was ordained a Priest in 1970. Bonnie continued her studies at Sonoma State, earning degrees in French and Art. They moved to Healdsburg in 1972 where Marvin served St Paul's Church until his retirement in 2006. Marvin was made an Honorary Canon to the Ordinary in 1984,and Bonnie earned a teaching credential at Sonoma State in 1992 and taught fourth grade. Since retirement they have spent two or three months a year in Peru as short-term missionaries with the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders. They moved to Los Angeles in 2020 to be near their daughter Mary Agnes Ablaza and her family. They have five children and nine grandchildren.

 

Robert Sammis

DEACON

The Reverend Robert Sammis was ordained a vocational deacon in June 2016.  Robert’s current ministry is serving the youth of the parish, outreach with our Armenian community, and pastoral care.  In the past, his ministries have included the altar guild and as a Chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospital. Robert currently serves on the Deacon’s Council for the Los Angeles Diocese.

Robert has three children, Sevana, Armen and Tiana and is the proud grandparent of Han and Emile. When not at St. Mark’s, you will most likely find him skiing on the slopes of Mammoth Mountain or Alpine Meadows.