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Dear
Cathedral Community,
In 1978,
in the painful aftermath of a bitter divorce, my father and I came
here, wounded, uncertain, and searching for something steady to hold
onto.
My
father was drawn by his deep love of the Anglican tradition and its
music, especially the work of Howard Don Small, himself an organist
and someone my father deeply admired. But it was more than beauty
that brought us through these doors.
St.
Mark’s became, for both of us, a place of healing.
I, too,
fell in love with this holy place almost immediately: in part because
I loved my dad, and in part because of something deeper, something it
has taken more than thirty years to fully understand. This Cathedral
did not simply welcome us. It helped restore us. It gave my father
and me grace when life had been harsh, and hope when our world had
been shaken.
To be a
child here.
To
leave, and then return with my own family.
To serve
your families as an assistant youth minister, and to answer a call to
the priesthood.
To be
called back to serve the Cathedral in community engagement, then as
Canon Pastor and Chief of Staff, and finally to serve the Bishop and
you as Provost.
Words
cannot adequately describe how honored and humbled I have been, and
continue to be. You are, and always will be, my family.
Today, I
write to share that I have accepted my next call. I will be joining
the staff of the National Church, serving in a logistics and risk
management capacity, in the office of the General Convention.
The
Dean’s search process and the work of the National Church are in
alignment, and this transition has been undertaken in ongoing
conversation with the Bishop. With the work aligning closely with
both my abilities and my family’s needs, I have accepted this call
with gratitude and hope.
What
does this mean for St. Mark’s?
I have
been in ongoing conversation with the Bishop and the Wardens of
2025–2026, and this transition has been evolving thoughtfully. I will
continue to serve part-time as your Provost until, in consultation
with the Bishop, I am relieved by the next Dean.
There is
so much more I could say and want to say. But know this, and know
this only:
I love
you all, and I have profound hope for the extraordinary, faithful
people of St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral.
With
deep gratitude and affection,
Tim+
The Rev.
Timothy M. Kingsley
Provost,
Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral
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