The Rev. Suzanne M. Culhane named to new diocesan position of Canon for Stewardship

Bishop Provenzano announced today the appointment of the Rev. Suzanne M. Culhane to the newly created part-time position of Canon for Stewardship. She will additionally continue parish ministry as priest-in-charge of St. Philip’s Church in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.

Canon Culhane will focus on diocesan capital needs, conduct a needs assessment and feasibility study, and will implement capital campaigns and coordinate major fundraising efforts of the Cathedral of the Incarnation, Episcopal Ministries of Long Island, and Camp DeWolfe. She will also begin a stewardship formation plan for the diocese and parishes through teaching at the Mercer School and offering regional classes as needed, and she will initiate regular visits with each parish and offer consulting assistance on behalf of the bishop’s office.

Bishop Provenzano says, “Cn. Culhane comes to the diocese at a critical moment in the development of our diocesan-wide ministry. An essential part of developing sustainable ministry throughout the diocese is dependent upon a formation and education focus on practical stewardship. An example of this practical stewardship is reflected in her wish to have her ministry anchored in a local worshiping community. With this kind of commitment, I feel confident that Cn. Culhane possesses both the knowledge and the spirit to help our diocese move forward in these areas.”

Cn. Culhane currently serves as the Assistant for Stewardship at Christ Church in Greenwich, Connecticut where she has been focused on parish development, including stewardship and membership.

She has nearly 20 years of non-profit management experience with expertise in providing development counsel to religious and social service organizations. She has provided consulting assistance to numerous parishes and church groups, including Trinity Church Copley Square in Boston, The Church of the Ascension in New York, The Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in New York. Cn. Culhane frequently leads workshops and retreats in addition to clergy coaching around stewardship and fundraising. 

She holds a Master of Divinity from Episcopal Divinity School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Siena College.

Cn. Culhane is a lifelong Episcopalian and a native of the Diocese of Long Island, having been raised at St. John’s, Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn.

She will begin her position on May 19.