The Rev. Michelle Baker-Wright
I came to St. Cross in 2024, having previously served at St. James, South Pasadena as Senior Associate and subsequently as Priest-in-Charge. I grew up primarily in Seattle and Chicago, but have lived in the Los Angeles area for over twenty-five years and have family roots in Anaheim going back over 120 years. Some of my earliest memories are of being about four, watching Disneyland fireworks on my grandfather’s shoulders at their Anaheim home.
I have a lifelong love of liturgy and music. My earliest training is as a musician; I began piano at age 6 and flute at age 9, ultimately majoring in Flute Performance at USC’s Thornton School of Music. I grew up in the church in a number of Protestant denominations and discovered the Episcopal Church as an adult as I was completing an MDiv at Fuller Theological Seminary. I was ordained a Priest in 2011 as I was working on a PhD in Liturgy and Music at Fuller. I have always loved learning, teaching, preaching, and playing and composing music, and feel a calling to approach questions about Jesus in a way that is nuanced and deep while also being accessible and practical.
Some of the most profound times when I most deeply experienced Jesus’s presence have been when the church has provided space for me in times of suffering and allowed room for my questions and doubts. My hope and prayer is that I can be a part of offering that kind of space for others to experience Jesus’s love in that way.
I’ve been married to my husband Mark for twenty two years, and we enjoy British mysteries and sci-fi, and discovering new restaurants (especially if there’s table side guacamole involved!).
