A major focus of his 53 years of ordained ministry has been hospital chaplaincy. He served as a Chaplain at Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, CA, Mercy Hospital in Nampa, Idaho, and Boston’s Children’s Hospital in 1990. He initiated the on-call Chaplaincy program at the Dorchester General Hospital in 1991 and continued to serve in that volunteer program for the Shore Health System for 24 years. 

Fr. Pierce is Board Certified as a Clinical Chaplain and Pastoral Counselor by the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy. He also serves as the Convener of the Maryland Eastern Shore Chapter of CPSP. In 2012 the Rt. Rev. James J. Shand, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton, appointed Fr. Pierce as the Bishop’s Chaplain for Health Care Institutions.

Fr. Pierce also served on the Executive Council (aka the National Board of Trustees) of The Episcopal Church from 2014 through 2018. He was elected as President of Province III (comprised of 13 mid-Atlantic Dioceses) in 2022 and served for two years. Currently he is the Vice President and a Trustee of the worldwide Anglican Pacifist Fellowship.

Fr. Pierce was ordained a Priest in 1973. He has served congregations in California, Idaho, and Massachusetts before coming to the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1991. He is the co-author of the book, The Voice of Conscience: A Loud and Unusual Noise? (Charles River Press, 1989) and numerous articles, notably on stained glass windows, which have been published in various national journals. He was profiled in a front page story in The Washington Post on October 12, 1999. The article described Pierce as “a liberal minded priest who landed in Maryland by way of Boston and Berkeley…. [He] is affable and graying—not a picture of zealotry—but he is comfortable in controversy.”

In 1995 he won national recognition for his sermon: "Is Your Meter Still Sitting on the Floor?" He has retired on four different occasions and failed every time. 

there is something quietly powerful about people coming together to sing.

Choir teaches us to listen.
To support one another.
To be part of something larger than ourselves.

And here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, that still matters.

At St. Philip’s in Quantico, we’re building something simple and meaningful — a choir rooted not just in music, but in community, growth, and shared purpose.

This is a multi-generational choir with ages currently ranging from 12-85;

Very much in the spirit of the Royal School of Church Music — where younger and older voices learn together, support one another, and grow side by side.

We already have several young singers with us, including students from homeschool families who are incorporating music into their education — and it’s been a joy to see that take shape.

Because this goes beyond music.

It’s about learning to listen.
To contribute.
To belong.
To respect your elders.
To value youth…

No pressure. No perfection required.
Just a willingness to show up and be part of something.

We rehearse Sunday mornings at 11:30, and currently sing one Sunday each month (the first Sunday at 10:00am).

If you’ve sung before, you’re welcome.
If you haven’t sung in years, you’re welcome.
If you’ve never sung in a choir at all… you’re especially welcome.

If this speaks to you, reach out — I’d love to have you with us.