St. Paul’s Parish Leadership

The Rev. James E. Reiss

Priest in Charge

Fr. James Reiss is a Long Island native; growing up in East Northport, he heard the call to Ordained Ministry and was sponsored for Holy Orders by Trinity Episcopal Church in Northport. After graduating from SUNY Old Westbury with a degree in Religious Studies and Psychology, he went to Austin, Texas for his Master in Divinity degree from the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest. There, he focused his studies on Latinx Ministry and received a concentration in Military Chaplaincy. 

Following seminary, Fr. James served as the Curate at Centro Franciscano, a Spanish-speaking Missional Congregation for the Bishop in Riverhead. After a year, he was invited to join St. John’s Episcopal Church in Huntington as Curate for another year as he cultivated his administrative, leadership, and pastoral skills. He began his ministry as Priest in Charge of St. Paul’s on Palm Sunday 2023. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Patchogue-Medford Youth & Community Services, and as an ecumenical partner in the Episcopal/Presbyterian dialogue regarding full communion.

Fr. James is also an officer in the United States Navy. Since seminary, he has been actively pursuing Chaplaincy for the Armed Forces, as a chaplain for the Episcopal Armed Forces and Federal Ministries office. He has felt a strong call to remind all serving this country of God’s unconditional love. He was Navy Chaplain Candidate for six years, who completed Officer Development School in Newport, Rhode Island in August of 2020. Fr. James completed two OJTs (On-the-job Trainings) in San Diego, California (2022) and Norfolk, Virginia (2023). He will be commissioned a Navy Chaplain at St. Paul’s on June 1, 2024.

He was married to Kailee Sievers by Bishop Provenzano at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City in September of 2023. They have three little dogs: Coco, Oreo, and Mocha.