The Rev. Fernando Paiva III is serving as priest-in-charge at Trinity and our affiliate, St. James in Edison. Father Freddie is the 55th priest to lead Trinity since an Anglican missionary, Edward Portlock, traveled to Woodbridge from Perth Amboy and held the first services in 1698.
Father Freddie is relatively new to the priesthood. He received a Master of Divinity degree in May 2022 from Virginia Theological Seminary. He was then ordained as a deacon in June 2022 at Trinity Cathedral, Trenton, and as a priest in December 2022 at Holy Trinity, South River.
Yet Father Freddie is anything but new to the area. He grew up in Sayreville and attended Holy Trinity as a congregant before deciding to pursue the priesthood. He served at St. Peter’s, Perth Amboy, as an intern before enrolling in seminary.
Between July and December 2022, Father Freddie served as a deacon associate at two affiliated congregations in South Jersey: Christ Church, Palmyra, and Sts. Stephen and Barnabas, Florence. That experience helped prepare him for his current role.
Father Freddie offers Holy Communion at Trinity and St. James on alternating Sundays, with lay readers leading Morning Prayer in his absence. He and his wife, Jessica, live in St. James’s Rectory.