Staff
The Rev. Pamela Bakal, Rector, retired July 31, 2023
The Rev. Pamela Bakal came to Grace Church Nutley in 1997 after having served Grace Church, Brooklyn Heights. She earned her M.Div. at the General Seminary, NYC. Her undergraduate degree was earned at Hunter College, N Y.
Rev. Pamela serves on the Diocese of Newark Prison Ministry (chair), Corporation for the Relief of Widows, Orphans, and Widows, Union of Black Episcopalians, is a member of the Nutley Clergy, and has served on the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Newark, the Board of Nutley Senior Manor (past president), Offender Aid and Reconciliation (OAR), in addition to other committees. During the Middle East war she organized the Military Family and Friends Group which continues to meet for support. During her time as rector two women of the parish were called to the priesthood and one to the vocational diaconate.
Rev. Pamela is married to Stuart Bakal, a retired photographer and trainer. They have three adult sons, two of whom have served in the Armed Forces (U.S. Army and the U.S. Marines). They have a yellow lab and three cats.
Randall Svane, Organist and Choir Director
Randall Svane's distinguished music has captured the hearts and minds of audiences across the United States and Europe. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the Moravian Philharmonic, the Borromeo String Quartet, the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, the Munich Chamber Choir, and the Leipzig Vocal Ensemble are just a few of those who have performed Svane's works to critical and public acclaim. In addition, his choral and organ music has received performances in leading cathedrals, including Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, Trinity Wall Street, Gloucester Cathedral, Bristol Cathedral, Chester Cathedral, Saint Thomas Church Leipzig, and the Salzburg Dom.
Svane's achievements have been recognized through grants, prizes, and awards from ASCAP, Meet the Composer, the American Music Center, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Astral Foundation, and the Jerome Foundation. In 2014, Svane won First Prize in the Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue Composition Competition, an international competition that received entries from across the US, Europe, and Australia. His extensive catalogue includes orchestral, chamber, operatic, and choral works. Mr. Svane's music is published in the U.K. by Encore Publications and in the U.S. by E.C. Schirmer and Paraclete Press.
In a recent review in The Strad, critic Dennis Rooney had this to say about Svane's second string quartet: "A short Presto with pizzicato effects led to a slow finale that contained a fugal episode but was tinged throughout with the profound sadness of Shostakovich and the Richard Strauss of Metamorphosen. Svane knows how to entice the ear and to sustain interest."
Shannon LaBianco, Financial Administrator
Patricia McNamara, Office Manager
THE VESTRY
Sheryl Pancaro, Warden
Wayne Ruben, Warden
Sandy Bianchi
Michael Dolan
Lee Gilbert, clerk
Kevin Haszko
Wendy Medaska
Don Nocerino
Michael Peters
Simone Plass
Faith Pula
Donna Stratigis
Ralph Turano
Phyllis Wilson
Treasurer
Jim Hasselbrook
Sunday School and Youth Group
Joan Skorupski
Altar Guild President
Laura Amerman
Phyllis Wilson, Maryann Fischer
ECW Chair
Lillian Fen
Mon Hinman
Flower Guild Chair
Mon Hinman
Diocesan Convention 2023
Simone Plass
Sheryl Pancaro