RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA : Episcopal Priest Helps Build Schools

Fondly known to many as the “developer with a collar,” the Rev. Ernest D. Sillers has helped build the foundations of Episcopal schools for thousands of children in South County.

A wall plaque in his office at St. John’s Episcopal Church and School reads “It’s better to build children than to repair men,” aptly describing the philosophy that brought Sillers, 82, out of retirement 13 years ago to embark on his ambitious building plan.

In those 13 years, Sillers helped develop St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, St. John’s Episcopal Church and School in Rancho Santa Margarita, St. Anne’s School in Laguna Niguel and the University of San Juan Capistrano.

For Sillers, his efforts have been nothing short of “participating in a miracle.”

“God is trying to rescue his children and youth in Orange County, hundreds and thousands of his precious children here, many who are lost in drugs, lost in alcohol, lost in just plain meaninglessness,” he said.

Soon after retiring in 1975 as the longtime headmaster and rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and School in Downey, Sillers, a Laguna Beach resident, said he started pondering how he might participate in a miracle. With his wife, Aldine, a school librarian who has made her own contributions to the various church schools, Sillers said he decided to help save children from the forces he believes are destroying American life: mediocrity, indifference, irresponsibility and corruption.

“My thrust is to attack those four elements head-on in a program with children and youth in their formative years, to bring them above the level of mediocrity to a growth level where they’re capable and can carry out their responsibilities in different areas of employment,” he said.

Sillers--who once studied to be an accountant during his college years in Canada--started his development work in San Juan Capistrano, where he helped build St. Margaret’s Episcopal School on what used to be a cabbage patch.

After seeing the success at St. Margaret’s, which serves 900 students each year, Sillers turned his energies in 1987 to the emerging community of Rancho Santa Margarita, where he helped build St. John’s Episcopal Church and School for another 800 children.

Although fund raising is a constant challenge, Sillers said the toughest part of his job is getting a project through the various bureaucratic levels. “The hardest part is the educational process in helping leaders see the need for my work,” he said.

Some, however, have needed little persuasion.

“Father Sillers is a tough man to say no to,” said James Williams, director of corporate relations of the Santa Margarita Co., which worked closely with Sillers in developing St. John’s Church and School. “He’s persistent, sharp as a tack and full of enthusiasm for his projects. Plus, he has a great track record in creating and managing successful educational institutions.”

Not content to sit back with his accomplishments, Sillers is now back at work helping in the continuing development of St. Anne’s School in Laguna Niguel, a private school that has received blessings of the local Episcopal and Roman Catholic dioceses, and his pet project of about 15 years, the University of San Juan Capistrano.

“I could see the growth of the children, growing into good citizens and leaders of strong moral character who could fill key positions in our country and turn the tide of moral deterioration within the fabric of our society,” he said.