The Rev. Beth Rauen Sciaino
Rector
Pastor Beth joined the parish of St. Bernard's Episcopal Church in November 2015. She continues to be grateful for this God-given opportunity walk alongside lay leaders and parishioners who live out their Christian faith by helping other people, serving as Christ’s hands and heart in the world. Check out St. Bernard’s Outreach page to learn more.
Together with the Wardens and Vestry, Pastor Beth helped the parish transition from ownership of the 1912 original Parish House, a historic building designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, which was in need of a complete and costly renovation. St. Bernard’s new, smaller, and more accessible Parish House opened in October 2018 and now houses the offices, meeting, and fellowship space for the parish in a much more convenient location. The original Parish House will have new life as condominiums, along with a new addition. All the beautiful stone used in this project has come from the property itself.
Pastor Beth is a certified Coach in the Diocese of New Jersey and enjoys opportunities to learn and grow in her own discipleship and leadership. She is the Chair of the Development Council for Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center, a shared Lutheran and Episcopal camp and retreat center located in northern Hunterdon County and a wonderful site for faith formation for all ages. Beth also serves on the Steering Committee of the Interfaith Community Action Network of greater Somerset County (ICAN).
Beth earned a Master of Divinity from Drew Theological School in Madison, N.J., and a B.A. in Religion from Wesleyan University. Prior to coming to St. Bernard’s, she served as an associate rector at Christ Episcopal Church in Ridgewood, NJ, and Curate (Assistant to the Rector) at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Millington, N.J.
She lives in Morristown with her husband, Peter, and two children. Peter is a high school instrumental music teacher in Whippany, N.J.
Karen is an ordained clergywoman in the Episcopal Church. She was ordained to the sacred order of deacons and her ministry happens outside of the church and in the world. She has been specifically endorsed to minister to the sick, the weak, the lonely and the dying. She has been doing this by serving as a chaplain for the past 25 years in many different healthcare settings. She began her ministry by caring for those with physical and mental disabilities. She worked as a coordinator for the Coalition for Inclusive Ministries through the Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities – a division of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She served for over ten years at Kessler Institute with a focus on those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury and those with a spinal cord injury. During this time, she co-published the booklet “Brain Injury: When the Call Comes. A Congregational Resource.”
The Rev. Deacon Karen Burke-Lewis
Deacon, Palliative Care Chaplain
Karen was employed by the Visiting Nurse Association of Somerset Hills as their hospice chaplain for ten years. The emphasis of her hospice ministry was to offer personalized spiritual care to people at the end of life and also bereavement counseling to their families. She worked on the hospice team advocating for those in need and providing companionship and emotional support to her patients and their families. Many people in the Somerset Hills area know Karen because of the presentations and lectures she gave to local churches on the spiritual and ethical issues involved with the dying process. Karen began a new position as a Palliative Care Chaplain at Chilton Medical Center in January of 2020. This was only weeks prior to the start of the coronavirus pandemic. In this role her ministry is to help patients and families navigate goals of care and make decisions when facing a life limiting diagnosis. Her main objective at Chilton is to help reduce the spiritual and emotional pain that her patients and their families typically feel during such a shocking time in their lives and to assist them in making medical decisions that will best align with their life goals.
Karen has earned a Masters of Theological Studies from Drew University with a concentration on the biblical exegesis of the Greek and Hebrew texts. She also earned a Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. In addition to this, she has achieved four units of Clinical Pastoral Education. Clinical Pastoral Education, or CPE, is an intensive training program for chaplaincy in healthcare settings. She spent four years completing this training at Catholic Health Initiatives and St. Mary’s Hospital in PA. She was exposed to working in the Emergency Department, Operating Room, Psychiatric Unit, and Medical Surgical Care. Recently, Karen submitted her papers to the Board of Chaplaincy Certification, Inc. and passed the board exams. She is now a Board-Certified Chaplain. She is planning to pursue certification as an Advanced Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplain.
Karen is married to Robert Lewis and they live in Far Hills with their two children Charlotte and John. Robert is a Geologist with his own company specializing in stream restoration. Charlotte is a student at The Ohio State University and John is a student at Drew University. In her free time Karen believes in practicing self-care. She uses her hobby of photography as a meditative practice. She also greatly enjoys exercising daily.
What is a Deacon?
“A deacon is a baptized person called and empowered by God and the Church to be a model of Christ’s servant ministry for all people. As agents of God’s compassion and reconciling grace, deacons are missionaries to the world and messengers to the Church of the world’s need, hopes, and concerns. In the Church, deacons call forth, empower, and inspire the baptized to respond to those needs. The role of the deacon in liturgy mirrors this role of the deacon in Church and world. Deacons are living symbols of Christ’s presence as they embody Christ’s servant ministry and point to the presence of Christ in those they serve.” (Association of Episcopal Deacons) Learn more: www.episcopaldeacons.org/history.html.
Sunday Worship Times
All services led by the Rev. Beth Rauen Sciaino
@ St. Bernard's Episcopal Church
11 am Holy Eucharist
@ St. John on the Mountain
7:45 am Holy Eucharist Rite I
9:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite II
Contact Us
Tel: 908.766.0602
St. Bernard's Episcopal Church
88 Claremont Road
Bernardsville, NJ 07924
St. Bernard's Cemetery,
60 Washington Ave,
Bernardsville, NJ 07924