The Reverend Tommy A. Thompson is the VII Rector of Washington Memorial Chapel: The Episcopal Church at Valley Forge. Father Tommy is originally from Nashville, TN and moved to Pennsylvania in 2012 after serving various parishes in Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia. Prior to being called as Rector at WMC, he was Rector at Saint Andrews Episcopal Church, West Vincent. Father Tommy received his Diploma in Anglican Studies from Virginia Theological Seminary (Alexandria, VA), his M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary (Wilmore, KY), and his B.A. in Religion/Pastoral Ministries from Trevecca Nazarene University (Nashville, TN).

Father Thompson is a member of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution and currently serves as the society’s Chaplain. In his spare time, Father Tommy enjoys strength training, music, reading, fishing, motorcycling, all things barbecue, and spending quality time with his family.

If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment with Father Thompson, use the link below to do so.

Schedule an appointment with the Rector.

Father Tim Steeves, a retired priest of the dioceses of Pennsylvania, joined our staff as our part time Priest Associate in November 2021. He has extensive Parish experience and is happy to be part of this vibrant and growing community! Father Tim is originally from Boston, MA and remains a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan! He graduated from U Mass and Virginia Theological Seminary. In his free time, Father Tim enjoys spending time with his wife Deborah, reading, and listening to classical music – especially Mahler.

Don has over 25 years experience in managing the funeral needs of churches in the Philadelphia area. His previous career in the U.S. Army prepared him well for managing church affairs.

Reach out to Don with questions about having an event here, renting space, or general building & administration issues.

Charles role in the Chapel’s community is to order and lead its worship.

Since he first heard Evensong at a Lebanon County parish, he has worked to worship and lead worship in a spirit of excellence and transcendence. He began playing the organ at 11, going on to study it at Lebanon Valley College, and then started to serve as the Chapel’s organist shortly thereafter in 2013.

Charles is also responsible for providing the musical element at special events at the Chapel, be they weddings, funerals, or the special services of holy feasts. If you ever chance to catch him walking into the chapel at odd hours of the day, or working in a dusty corner of the organ chamber or practice room, he’ll probably be humming an Anglican chant to himself and pausing to sigh at its beauty before resuming.

Rich is a graduate of Westminster Choir College. He plays widely for parishes throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey and has frequently served Washington Memorial Chapel. In addition, Richard has dedicated over a decade of study to the French organist Charles Tournemire and his magnum opus “L’Orgue Mystique”, having concertised portions of this piece widely in the United States and Canada. He has given complete performances of this fifteen-hour, two-hundred-fifty-three-movement work in two concert series, first in Bucks County and second in Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh and Duquesne chapters of the American Guild of Organists and Duquesne University. The third performance, which was arranged for the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, was interrupted due to the pandemic and is tentatively rescheduled for 2023.

In addition to recitals and liturgical performances of “L’Orgue Mystique”, he has lectured on Tournemire at universities and conferences and will be giving a presentation at this summer’s American Guild of Organists convention in Seattle. Richard’s book on the subject—“Charles Tournemire’s L’Orgue Mystique: La haute mission”, which is a summation of his study of the man and his music—is set to be published this year by the Wayne Leupold Foundation.

Doug is the Chapel’s resident Carillonneur and also the Coordinator of our Veterans Wall of Honor. He plays our carillon for the main service each Sunday; for weddings, funerals and burials as well as our patriotic carillon concerts and special occasions. Doug runs our Summer Carillon Concert Series, including its fund raising, and oversees our Veterans Wall of Honor.

Doug first studied carillon at Westminster College where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree in organ. He then studied with Frank Law, our carillon’s first carillonneur, while at Temple University, where he earned his masters degree in music history. He is a Carillonneur Member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America.

Before assuming his current position here at the Chapel in 1999, Doug had been Bellmaster at historic Old Christ Church in Philadelphia for 21 years. He has written and arranged numerous pieces for carillon and has recorded several carillon CD’s.

Denise has served as the part time Finance Administrator since 2015 managing the day to day challenges of the chapel finances with support from the Accounting Warden. After graduating college with a degree in Accounting Denise knew she wanted her work to include more than just numbers. Luckily her skills allowed her to work 15+ years with a large Philadelphia based non profit organization followed by several years at community focused low income child care centers. Working at Washington Memorial Chapel, surrounded by Valley Forge National Park, has added another rewarding chapter to her career. Have a question on the Parochial Report, Annual Budget, Audited Financials or Monthly Reports? Please reach out to Denise, she is available Monday through Thursday and is always happy to discuss financials.

When not crunching numbers Denise can be found at the gym, socializing with her book club or bunco groups and enjoying time with her husband and two children, preferably in the Outer Banks.

Hana is the Parish Communications Coordinator. I’m a native of the Philadelphia area and I’ve been in this field for 6 plus years. My background is in customer service so I love interacting with people and helping to put a smile on their faces.

When I’m not in the office, I enjoy exploring nature, hiking trails, weekend getaways and a good book. I look forward to serving my Washington Memorial Chapel family.

Fred was born and raised in Conshohocken, PA. For the last fifteen years, he has worked with Moore, Snear, & Ruggiero Funeral Home. His career started however, as a Car Salesman at Moore Chevrolet. For over 30 years, Fred took pride in satisfying customers and developing relationships that would last a lifetime. A former restaurant cook (Kelly’s Restaurant), and diehard Philly sports fan shows his true passion and dedication to all he does. When he is not working, he loves spending time with his wife, children, and many grandchildren. “Poppy” loves nothing more than making people laugh and enjoy their day!

Holly is the new Cabin Shop Cafe manager. A dedicated, results oriented and highly motivated accounting/administrative professional, with a high degree of personal integrity, excellent organizational and communication skills. A self-tarter with the ability to learn new programs and procedures quickly. I love travel, reading, playing cards, watching movies and playing golf. I love working in the Cabin Shop and the Bookstore. I meet so many interesting people from all over the world. I enjoy baking and trying new soup recipes. When the bakers come in on Thursday the Cabin smells so good. Everyone that comes in the Cabin Shop enjoys the experience. It is a happy place to work. God has blessed us with this wonderful Chapel and all of the experiences that come with it.

I was born and raised in Montgomery County. I married in 1969 and lived in Germany for husbands town with the army.

I returned to PA. and worked for Bell of PA. that eventually became Verizon, for thirty years. After retiring I moved to Florida and worked as a deputy clerk for Lee County Clerk of Court for twelve years.

I moved back to PA. after my husband passed and found Washington Memorial Chapel where I became a member. I currently work in the Cabin Shop Café. The clergy and members of this parish have been a saving grace for me.

Ansley goes by “Ms. D” and she teaches Special Education in the Colonial School District, loves teaching and is a natural around youth and children. She has a love for the Lord and a deep desire for Children and Youth to know that there is safe space for them to grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord. We are delighted for Ms. D to join our Chapel team!