BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — The neighborhood mourns the Rev. Erika Meyer, associate rector for Pastoral Care and Community Life at Grace Church in Brooklyn Heights, who died on July 14 after a battle with cancer. A memorial service will be held in September for Meyer, who built a ministry around guiding people through the grieving process.
According to a July 15 memorial announcement from the parish, Meyer joined Grace Church in 2018 following 16 years as a rector (a lead pastor) serving parishes ranging from rural Colorado to midtown Manhattan. Her ministry, which focused on faith, loss, and grief, through scripture, song, and testimony, stretched beyond parish bounds, as she organized interfaith services with several other congregations over the years.
A University of Michigan graduate, she was ordained to the priesthood in 1995 in the Diocese of Michigan. She earned her master of divinity degree from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California.
Paul Richard Olson, Grace Church’s Organist and Choirmaster since 1992, said via Facebook, “Mother Erika was a gift to us all. She was my pastor, my sister and a loving friend…Her ministry here at Grace Church will always be remembered and cherished.”
The Rev. Erika Meyer Photo: Grace Church Brooklyn Heights
Geoff Brewer, a second-generation parishioner and vestry member, wrote a tribute on Facebook, “Rev. Erika was truly one of a kind — a gifted, deeply inspired, and often wonderfully quirky preacher and teacher. She was devoted to the Word; absolutely tireless in her pastoral duties, her leadership of countless ministries, and her commitment to social justice; an utterly unpretentious person full of warmth and a wry wit…To say she will be missed, by our parish, our family, our neighborhood, and anyone who knew her, doesn’t begin to describe it. She leaves behind a void impossible to fill.”
Another longtime member, John Colón, also felt enriched by Meyer’s sermons. Colón wrote, “Mother Erika was a gifted preacher who helped me continue to engage the Living Word after church (services concluded).”
Cantor Ayelet Porzecanski of the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue wrote in an email to the Brooklyn Heights Press, “I think of Erika fondly – and I can speak for Rabbi Lippe and myself by saying she was our favorite member of the Brooklyn Heights Interfaith Clergy Association. She was always the first to raise her hand to help organize our September 11 observance, something we have been doing as a group since the first anniversary of that dreadful day. Erika always brought both wisdom and humor to our gatherings, and I feel honored to have called her a friend. She will be deeply missed – both for her leadership in our group and on a very personal level. As we say in the Jewish tradition: May her memory always be for a blessing.”
Surviving Meyer are her husband, Grace Church parishioner Paul Marinaccio, and their children, Johan Hedlund and Tai Marinaccio. A celebration of life service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Grace Church Brooklyn Heights, with a reception afterward. The service will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person.
The family directs that memorial gifts may be made to the American Cancer Society.