Elizabeth Costello (or ‘Mother Liz’*) was called as rector of St Thomas Medina in November 2022. As head pastor at St Thomas, Liz’s passion is coming alongside people wherever they are on their spiritual journey––whether they are struggling with questions, doubts, and ambiguity, or full of faith and sense that they are, little by little, “being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

A wife, mother, and priest, Liz grew up a Roman Catholic and spent formative time in Evangelical churches before finding her home and calling in the Episcopal Church. She received her Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Duke Divinity School and a Master of Sacred Theology (STM) from Yale Divinity School. In thirteen years of ministry, she has served in parish and nonprofit leadership roles from St John’s Cathedral (Denver, CO) to Two Saints homeless services outreach and the Oxford Catholic Worker (Oxford, UK).

In her free time, Liz enjoys hiking, skiing, and spending time in the outdoors with her family. She loves a good novel and cooking vegetarian fare for family and friends.

She would love to connect with you for conversation over a cup of coffee (on her!) or a walk; just email her at Liz@stthomasmedina.org.

*Why ‘Mother’ (or, for that matter, ‘Father’)?
The title ‘Mother’ dates back to at least the 4th Century, where female spiritual leaders were referred to as ‘Amma’ or ‘Mother’ (and males as ‘Abba’ or ‘Father’): an honorific term recognizing the role that women played from the earliest days of the church as ‘spiritual mothers’ to those seeking guidance in living out the Christian life.