Please join us in welcoming The Rev. Craig Vocelka, who has been called to serve as interim priest at St. Bede’s, Port Orchard. Craig will begin that call on October 22, 2025.
Before retiring from the University of Washington School of Medicine, Craig lived his vocation as a bi-vocational priest. He was Chief Perfusionist in the Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery and mostly served as a supply priest throughout the Diocese. He has served as vicar at Faith Episcopal in Poulsbo and as interim at St. Christopher’s, Steamboat Island, and Trinity Parish, Seattle. Craig retired from the UW in 2021 and then served as interim at St. Antony’s, Silverdale, from October 2021 to June 2023, and most recently served at St. Paul’s, Port Townsend.
Craig loves anything on the water. If the weather is cooperating, you’ll find him on the paddleboard, kayak, or sailing when the opportunity presents itself. He’s an avid walker and starts most mornings with a long walk.
Craig refers to his journey, which led to the priesthood, as the long and winding road. He began the journey as a Roman Catholic and was a member of the Southern Province of the Dominican Friars. During his studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, he took a leave of absence, which was when he met who would become his best friend and wife, Victoria, and, as he says, he wasn’t invited back…. He found himself attending the Episcopal Church, ended up converting, had a mentor who told him he was just in the wrong church, and was ordained a priest in 2012. He holds BA degrees in Elementary and Religious Education from the University of St Thomas in Houston and completed his M.Div at Seattle U.
Craig and Victoria have been married for 37 years and have a daughter, Sheri. Victoria is a Physician Assistant (PA-C) who has worked primarily in the ER and Urgent Care until her recent retirement. Sheri is married to Chris; they have two sons and live in Renton.
Craig can be reached at: craigrv@comcast.net.
Keep Craig in your prayers as he prepares to begin his new call, along with all congregations and clergy in transition.