Clergy

The Rev. Matthew T. Grunfeld

St. Andrew’s, Spring Hill has unanimously called the Rev. Matthew T. Grunfeld as it’s next rector.  Fr. Matthew relocated from Holmes Beach, FL where he had been rector of The Church of the Annunciation since 2015.  He is also the dean of the Manasota Deanery and is involved in the Diocese of Southwest Florida as a member of the Diocesan council, instructor in the school of ministry and Cursillo.

Father Grunfeld’s theology and ministry is grounded in the Benedictine pattern of prayer, life in community, and conversion of life.  He believes that we meet God at the Altar during the Holy Eucharist, but also at the other tables we experience in our lives.

His father is Jewish, and his mother is an Episcopalian.  He was baptized at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in his hometown of Columbus, Georgia.  He attended Roman Catholic schools for most of his younger years and holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Sociology from Emory University in Atlanta, a venerable United Methodist institution.

It was as a college undergraduate that he discerned a call to the priesthood and was sponsored for ordination by St. Thomas and the Diocese of Atlanta.  After serving in a clinical chaplain residency at a hospital in his hometown for a year after graduating college, he moved to New York City to attend the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church.  It was as a student at GTS that he came to love the rich Anglican liturgical tradition.  It is also where he gained an appreciation for life and culture outside of his roots in the Deep South.  He was ordained to the diaconate as a seminarian in 2006 and to the priesthood in 2008.  He has served parishes in the Dioceses of Atlanta, New York, Alabama, and, since 2015, the Church of the Annunciation on Anna Maria Island.  He is glad to be continuing his ministry in the Diocese of Southwest Florida under the leadership of our native son, Bishop Scharf.

When he is not busy with church matters, he enjoys traveling, hiking, kayaking, and giving treats to his dog, Bruno.  He also eagerly awaits the Atlanta Braves recapturing first place in the National League East after the All Star Break, as is tradition.