The people of our parish reflect the diversity of our surrounding urban/suburban community.  We are rich and we are poor.  We are old and we are young.  We are gay and we are straight.  But we share the same mission, to make a Christian witness in society with our hearts and our voices.

Whether you are looking to be engaged, comforted, challenged, renewed, nourished or inspired, there is a place for you at St. Luke’s.

Announcing the 12th Rector of St. Luke’s

It is with great joy that the Vestry announces that the Rev. Kathryn Banakis has accepted the call to serve as the 12th Rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, beginning August 1, 2019.

Over the past eight years, Kat has served as St. Luke’s Community Connector, Theologian-in-Residence, Assistant Priest, and Vicar. Outside of serving at St. Luke’s and other churches, Kat has worked as the Senior Vice President for Advanced Analytics at the fundraising consulting firm Grenzebach Glier and Associates; as the head of finance for an education access non-profit; and as a federal lobbyist building national coalitions around issues of affordable housing and community development. Her work at Grenzebach Glier and Associates focused on using data and technology to plan and execute effective capital campaigns at some of the world’s top education, healthcare, social service, and arts organizations.

Kat has a demonstrated commitment to combining issues of the day with inter-faith and inter-denominational efforts. She is producer and host of the Holy Holy Podcast, which combines contemporary topics, secular experts, and an interfaith panel of Chicago-area faith leaders. She served on the board of the Beatitudes Society, an organization for faith and public life that later became affiliated with the multi-faith Auburn Seminary. Her book, Bubble Girl: An Irreverent Journey of Faith, provides an overview of Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic approaches to Christian thought.

A graduate of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Kat is also co-founder of the 18th Street Singers (Washington, DC), a choir with regular performances at the  Kennedy Center, Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, and repeat invitations to the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC.

Kat holds a Masters of Divinity and a Bachelors in Religious Studies, both from Yale. In recent years, she has been recognized with the Duke Divinity Innovation Grant, as a Duke Divinity Leadership Emerging Christian Leaders Fellow, the Louisville Institute Pastoral Study Project Grant Recipient, and as a Transition into Ministry Lilly Fellow.