The Rt. Rev. Phil LaBelle

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The Rt. Rev. Philip N. LaBelle is the Ninth Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. The Diocese elected Bishop LaBelle on May 18, 2024, and he was Consecrated and Ordained on September 14, 2024.

Bishop LaBelle previously served as rector of St. Mark’s Church in Southborough, Massachusetts. During his time in the Diocese of Massachusetts, Bishop LaBelle co-led the Mission Strategy Committee, served on Executive Committee and Diocesan Council, and directed the Fresh Start program. He co-founded Southborough Neighbors for Peace with Dr. Safdar Medina in their small town. The organization hosted peace vigils, began a community-wide Iftar dinner during Ramadan, established an interfaith Thanksgiving service, and sponsored other bridge-building events. Additionally, Bishop LaBelle served on the core team of Central Mass. Connections in Faith, an organization centered on fostering relationships and learning about other religious faiths through quarterly gatherings.

In June of 2024, Bishop LaBelle received his Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Seminary focused on Christian Spirituality. His thesis work explored the theology and practice of zimzum and how to make space in our overly busy lives for God, others, and the natural world. He received his MDiv from Yale University in 2004, along with a diploma in Anglican Studies from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. He holds a Master’s degree in composition and rhetoric from Northeastern University and a Bachelor’s degree in English with an additional concentration in theological studies from Gordon College. He has also received certificates in congregational development and religious fundraising.

Additionally, Bishop LaBelle served in the Diocese of Colorado—where he was on the Commission on Ministry—and in the Diocese of Connecticut. Over his nearly 20 years of ordained ministry, he co-led more than a dozen mission trips for youth and adults. Before seminary, he worked in marketing communications and web development at multiple internet startups.

Bishop LaBelle is married to Dr. Melissa Tobey LaBelle, an Assistant Professor of Secondary Education at Bridgewater State University focused on language and literacy development. Together, they have two young adult children: Noah, a recent high school graduate currently on a bridge year program in Senegal, and Olivia, a high school senior who has been recruited to run track at college. Both Noah and Olivia began their university studies in the fall.

With St. Mark’s, Bishop LaBelle received a Clergy Renewal Grant from the Lily Endowment in 2017. He explored wilderness spirituality, the beauty of the natural world, and the need for climate justice. Additionally, he and his family walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and he and Noah have summited Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Canon Valerie Reinke

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Valerie is the Canon Missioner for Faith Formation of the Diocese of Olympia. She comes to the Office of the Bishop from Grace Episcopal Church, Bainbridge Island, where she worked for five years coordinating their Children & Families Ministry. She is the author of a curriculum for 2nd- 4th grades, “Storytellers,” that uses children’s books as a jumping off point for discussing Christian values and scriptural teachings. She was part of the leadership team that brought Grace’s Summer Day Camp to the children of farm workers last year in collaboration with La Iglesia Episcopal de la Resurrección and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Mt. Vernon.

Prior to landing in the Pacific Northwest, Valerie spent three years as the Christian Education Director at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Keller, Texas, where she initiated a weekly “Wednesday Night Live” program, which included dinner and break-out discussion groups for all ages. Before discovering a vocation in the church, she worked with public libraries throughout California helping them develop services for adults with low literacy skills, ultimately spending six years at the California State Library, managing the statewide adult literacy effort. In 2012, Valerie and her family moved to Bainbridge Island where she began writing creatively, gradually becoming a regular contributor to Bainbridge Island Magazine and the founding editor of Grace’s seasonal blog, Lenten Muse (www.lentenmuse.wordpress.com), which gathers the art, poetry, photography, and writing of Grace members to enrich and deepen the experience of Lent. In her spare time, she reads, practices yoga, and enjoys the company of her family: husband, Fred, and teenagers Ricky and Cara.

The Very Rev. Steven L. Thomason

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Steve was called to Saint Mark’s in 2012 after serving churches in his native state of Arkansas. He was ordained a priest in 2004. His educational degrees include Bachelor of Science from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN (1987); Doctor of Medicine degree from University of Arkansas (1991); Master of Divinity from the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas ,(2004). Steve practiced medicine for more than 20 years as family doctor and hospice/palliative care specialist before turning to parish ministry full-time in 2012. He and his wife Kathy have been married for 36 years and have two adult daughters, and one grand-daughter, Ila. His recreational interests include tending a rose garden at the deanery, snow-shoeing, cooking sabbath meals with Kathy, and spotting the sun every day in Seattle (he succeeds more often than you might think!