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Bishop Spong to receive Canon Jones Award

A nationally known Episcopal bishop and a longtime champion of progressive Christianity will be honored for his work by the Friends of Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford. He is the Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong who was the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark for 24 years before his retirement in 2001.

On November 14th, 2009, at the annual dinner of the Friends of Christ Church Cathedral, he will receive the Canon Jones Award - which recognizes individuals whose life and work exemplify the values, accomplishments and passions of the late Rev. Canon Clinton R. Jones during his 40-year ministry at Christ Church Cathedral. The Cathedral is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut.

Spong has been a visionary voice in the religious community, calling people to step beyond boundaries of tribe, prejudice, gender and even religion to create a new humanity. His latest book, Jesus for the Non-Religious, expands his vision for a radically reformed Christianity, peeling away dogma to reveal the essence of Jesus.

Spong’s lifelong quest to rescue the church from irrelevancy has led admirers to hail him as a champion of inclusive faith, and detractors to vilify him as a heretic. It is not a desire to destroy faith, however, that drives Bishop Spong. “Jesus stands not only at the center of my faith, but at the center of all that I am,” he says. “My commitment, however, is to the reality of Jesus as a God experience, not to the reality of the traditional explanations.”

He has said that he is not interested in Bible bashing. “I am a believer who knows and loves the Bible deeply. But I also recognize that parts of it have been used to undergird prejudices and to mask violence.”

A visiting lecturer at Harvard and at universities and churches worldwide, Bishop Spong delivers more than 200 public lectures each year to standing-room-only audiences. Among his bestselling books are Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Why Christianity Must Change or Die, and his autobiography, Here I Stand. The last was turned into a play entitled A Pebble in My Shoe and is touring the country.

He has been profiled on television’s “60 Minutes.” Other appearances include “Good Morning, America,” “Larry King Live,” and “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Bishop Spong and his wife, Christine Mary Spong, have five children and six grandchildren and live in New Jersey.

The Friends of Christ Church Cathedral is an organization of members and others founded to strengthen the Cathedral’s worship, outreach and cultural ministries. The award, which is accompanied by $1,000, will be presented to Bishop Spong at the Friends’ annual dinner to be held at the Cathedral House in Hartford on November 14, 2009.

Further information about the award or the dinner can be obtained by calling Dean Mark Pendleton at the Cathedral at (860-527-7231.

For Immediate Release
MANNA Soup Kitchen Serves People in Need Even Through Renovations

HARTFORD, Conn., March 20, 2009 - Starting April 1, First Church of Christ in Hartford (Center Church) at 60 Gold Street will provide kitchen and dining room space for patrons of MANNA Community Meals, a soup kitchen and services program of Hands On Hartford.

The temporary arrangement is due to major kitchen renovations in the Parish House of Christ Church Cathedral at 45 Church Street, the program’s permanent home for the past 30 years. The walking distance for patrons between Christ Church Cathedral and Center Church is three city blocks. MANNA Community Meals serves free lunches to approximately 100 persons on weekdays, and dinners to equal numbers on Monday and Tuesday nights.

“When asked, the response from Center Church was, 'Yes, Yes, Yes. Tell us how we can help.' I am humbled by the kindness of the congregation,” said Doug Sudell, chief executive officer of Hands On Hartford. “We are thankful that Center Church is willing and able to take us in during this time. The meals served at the soup kitchen meet the most basic of needs for many Hartford residents. It would be a shame to stop this meal program at a time when, due to the economy, the need is greater than ever.”

Center Church has provided in-kind space to Hands On Hartford in the past. It has served as a program site for the agency’s Senior Community Cafe, and also has provided space for numerous Hands On Hartford holiday meals. The agency’s Easter Sunday dinner will be held this year at the Gold Street location. Members of the Center Church congregation are regular volunteers at MANNA Community Meals.

Renovations at Christ Church Cathedral are made possible by a $100,000 grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The parish house basement will receive a new commercial grade floor, effective ventilation systems for the dining room and bathrooms, and other needed repairs. The makeover will significantly improve the condition of the facility, which was substantially upgraded by a prior grant from the Foundation 20 years ago.

Center Church and Christ Church Cathedral are two of the eight downtown congregations that founded Hands On Hartford’s predecessor Center City Churches. This year the multi-service agency celebrates its 40th anniversary.

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Hands on Hartford, Inc. leads the civic engagement movement in Greater Hartford by empowering individuals and teams of volunteers to accomplish projects, large and small, that address critical needs in Hartford. Hands On Hartford's social service programs provide meals and groceries for thousands of low-income families and individuals each year, children's programming and support services for hundreds of families living in poverty, and supportive housing for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Hands On Hartford is an affiliate of the national Hands On Network/Points of Light Institute. For more information about Hands On Hartford visit www.handsonhartford.org.

For Immediate Release
Hands on Hartford Food Program Planning $100,000 in Renovations

HARTFORD, Conn., December 17, 2008 - A grant of $100,000 from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has been awarded to fund the renovation of the Hands On Hartford’s soup kitchen and food service program. The MANNA Community Meals soup kitchen, housed at Christ Church Cathedral of Hartford, will get a new floor, ventilation system and other needed repairs.

“Besides the obvious value of this grant, it also demonstrates the importance of strong partnerships in our community,” said Paul Christie, executive director of Hands On Hartford. “No one of us could provide the space, meals, staff, volunteers and funding. But, together we can and Hartford is better for it.”

Next month will commemorate the 30th year anniversary of the soup kitchen, an occasion that comes when lines are out the door with hungry, unemployed and homeless people.

Janet Bermudez, program manager of MANNA, says usually 70 to 80 people are served for lunch or dinner, but that number has increased to 90 to 120 people. “People’s food stamps aren’t reaching as far as they used to because the cost of food has increased,” says Bermudez. “We’re now seeing more employed, working-class families that come here for lunch instead of paying for it.”

The MANNA program offers basic assistance and referral services and serves lunch to about 1,500 homeless and low-income adults throughout the year. Dinner is also served on Mondays, Tuesdays and holidays. Approximately 30,000 meals are served annually.

“Some people don’t have medical [assistance] or places to go, they help with all kinds of stuff like that,” said Sandy, who has benefited from MANNA every day for the past year.

The MANNA program also fosters community involvement. A variety of clients, staff, donors, and local volunteer groups come together to share food, companionship, and commitment to service and goodwill.
Prudential, Lincoln Financial Group, Capitol Preparatory School, and Christ Church Cathedral are among the local businesses, schools, civic, and church groups who volunteer their time and resources to help serve.

“We laugh a lot”, said Lois Chapman and her crew of Strong Women, a program of Hartford Hospital that has volunteered at MANNA for four years. On the first Tuesday of every month, the Strong Women assist in finding discounted or donated food and collectively prepare it for dinner, while volunteers from Christ Church Cathedral help serve the meals and visit with clients. “It makes you feel good. We get more out of it than we give.”

MANNA is also the site of Church Street Eats, a program that offers meals and basic necessities to those in need when there are no soup kitchens open on the weekends in Hartford. “I don’t just come here to eat,” said Albert, a regular at MANNA and Church Street Eats. “The people make the place and the atmosphere inside. I never before had people come up and ask me questions and talk to me. I feel eased and not uptight. I come here and be me.”

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CONTACT: Renee S. Hamel, Christ Church Cathedral
(860) 527-7231, Ext.114. Email: rhamel@cccathedral.org

For Immediate Release
2008 Canon Jones Award Recipient Honored

HARTFORD, Conn., November 15, 2008 - Rose Fichera-Eagen, Hartford native and lifelong resident, was named to receive the Reverend Canon Clinton R. Jones Award presented by the Friends of Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford. The award recognizes individuals whose life and work exemplify the values, accomplishments and passions of the late Canon Jones during his 40-year ministry at the Cathedral. Canon Jones was both a spiritual mentor and friend of Fichera-Eagen. The award, which is accompanied by $1,000, was presented to Fichera-Eagen at the fourth annual Friends Dinner, held at the Cathedral House on Saturday, November 15, 2008.

Daughter of immigrant shopkeepers, Fichera-Eagen was born with cerebral palsy. For over 45 years she has dedicated her life to work on behalf of marginalized and at-risk people, or, as she puts it, “Fighting for those unable to fight for themselves.” A graduate of the University of Hartford with both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in social work, she worked 28 years in Child Protective Services for the State of Connecticut. She was the first disabled person to be president of the local chapter of the United Cerebral Palsy Association. She has served on the board of South Park Inn for the homeless in Hartford from 1992 to the present, and is a former president.

Before her social work career, she worked nine years at the Hartford Courant typing classified ads with only one hand.

A 60-year member of Christ Church Cathedral, she has been a pre-eminent leader of outreach ministries, including helping to establish a healing ministry, the Uyeki Forum which seeks to unlearn racism, and a scholarship program that assists Cathedral youth to attend college.

In 2004, Fichera-Eagen recognized the need to feed the homeless in Hartford on Sundays when area soup kitchens are closed. With other Cathedral volunteers, she launched the “Church Street Eats” ministry that provides Sunday lunch to more than 100 guests each week. Young people from Episcopal churches around the state come to assist in the effort.

She led the Connecticut deputation at the 2006 Episcopal Church General Convention after having served as a deputy in 2003. She will represent the Diocese of Connecticut again at the 2009 General Convention.

The Friends of Christ Church Cathedral is an organization of members and others founded to strengthen the Cathedral’s worship, outreach and cultural ministries.

Award Recipient Named
07/10/07

Gretchen Wolff Pritchard of New Haven, Connecticut has been named to receive the Reverend Canon Clinton R. Jones Award presented by the Friends of Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford. The award recognizes individuals whose life and work exemplify the values, accomplishments and passions of the late Canon Jones during his 40-year ministry at the Cathedral.

Pritchard has served as Parish Education Director at St. Paul & St. James Episcopal Church in New Haven since 1979, and as Children’s Missioner, for outreach to city children, for 12 years. She was nominated for the award by the Rev. Joseph Pace of St. John’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford who noted that “she has been a leader locally and nationally in the education of children. She has taught adults that children are not just the future of the church but an integral part of the life of the church now.” He added that her work as parish educator, writer, artist and evangelist has involved a continuing effort to find creative and responsible ways of offering the Gospel to children.

The Friends of Christ Church Cathedral is a member organization founded to strengthen the Cathedral’s worship, outreach and cultural ministry. The award, which is accompanied by $1,000, will be presented to Pritchard at the third annual dinner to be held at the Cathedral House on Saturday, November 17. 2007.

A native of Illinois, Pritchard grew up in London and Washington, D.C. She majored in English at Bryn Mawr College and earned a Ph.D. in medieval English literature from Yale University. Twenty-eight years ago she became the Christian education coordinator at St. Paul’s Church, and in 1995 the Children’s Missioner at the newly merged parish of St. Paul and St. James. In that post she has been responsible for after-school, evening and summer programs for inner-city children, and welcoming families that join the parish through the Children’s Mission.

During her tenure she has also been the writer and illustrator of a large and still-growing body of programs and resources for Christian education, including The Sunday Paper lectionary cartoons, materials for communion, baptism, pageants and seasonal celebrations, and Beulah Land felt storytelling resources. She is the author of the book Offering the Gospel to Children published by Cowley Publications, and Learning to Love, a spiritual autobiography, published by Church Publishing, Inc.

Further information about the award or the dinner can be obtained by calling Dean Mark Pendleton at the Cathedral at (860) 527-7231.

Presiding Bishop Meets with Clergy from the Diocese
June 29, 2007

Director of Music Named at Christ Church Cathedral
April 10, 2007

The Very Rev. Mark Pendleton, on the recommendation of the Music Search Committee of Christ Church Cathedral, named Kevin Jones to serve as the new Director of Music. The committee, chaired with efficiency and dedication by Janet Belval, included Connie Bain, the Rev. Dana Campbell, Cynthia Mellon, Louis Ruddock, Michael Wells and youth representatives James Romanik and Andrew Huntsman. They met regularly since early January to complete the work of a very demanding process.

During the search process the Cathedral solicited congregational views on its music program through a written survey, held a Dean’s Forum on January 21, received and reviewed over 75 resumes from throughout the United States and overseas, conducted phone interviews to narrow the list, and then invited six people to come to Hartford. During their visit the candidates performed an organ recital, met with the clergy staff and committee members, and rehearsed with the choirs. Following each session, the choir members were asked to evaluate the candidates on a number of criteria. In the end, the evaluations of the choirs were consistent with the sense of the committee.

As a result of this process, Kevin Jones was selected to be the new Director of Music. Since 2002 Kevin has served as Organist & Choirmaster of Christ Episcopal Church in Pelham, New York. In Pelham he led the adult choir and the youth choristers, and is well acquainted with the Royal School of Church Music program used at the Cathedral. Kevin has extensive Episcopal Church experience, having worked in New York parishes in Manhattan, Staten Island and Rye, and also in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He began his undergraduate studies at Southern Methodist University and later received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Ashland University in Ohio. Kevin holds two advanced degrees: a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano and a Master of Music in Organ from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Apart from his church related work, Kevin works as a vocal coach, pianist, and conductor. From 1996 to 2004 he held the post of Musical Director of the New York City based Gilbert & Sullivan ensemble, the Blue Hill Troupe, Ltd. With that ensemble he made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut with the New York Pops Symphony Orchestra. He appears frequently at Carnegie Hall and has performed throughout Europe and the Far East.

Kevin’s first Sunday at the Cathedral will be June 17, and he will be the organist for the June 30 consecration of the new bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Connecticut. After leaving for a previously scheduled trip to England in early July to play an organ recital in Bristol Cathedral, Kevin returns to Hartford in mid-July to begin planning for the program year.

Kevin will be joined in Connecticut by Joe Bellissimo, his partner of seven years. They are proud owners of two shelter rescue dogs: Takoda, a Siberian Husky and Jake, an American Bulldog.

In announcing the selection, Dean Pendleton said: "I want to thank the members of the choirs for their hard work and patience throughout these past seven months. In addition, our Organ Scholar Christopher Houlihan has far exceeded what I could have hoped for from a young musician leading a cathedral music program in transition. His future is bright.

"Musical and worship excellence are hallmarks of the experience in most cathedrals, and have been so at Christ Church Cathedral for decades. Excellence demands that we reflect and enhance the musical yearnings of the larger community, a community that includes our congregation, the people of the city of Hartford, and the Diocese of Connecticut."

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Visitor in Residence Program Announced
February 14, 2007

Christ Church Cathedral
(Episcopal/Anglican)
Hartford, Connecticut

Open to persons within the United States and abroad including clergy, artists, scholars, writers, musicians, spiritual directors, seminarians looking to study, explore, write, preach and/or teach in an urban setting close to a rich variety of cultural, educational and leisure venues. Though established for the benefit of both the visitor and the wider Cathedral community, the program does not require applicants to be Episcopalian or Anglican.

A one-bedroom furnished apartment will be offered free for one to three months. Facilities include cable television and laptop computer with Internet access.

Grants may be available to cover transportation and other costs during the stay.

Interested persons may obtain applications by writing to:

The Very Rev. Mark B. Pendleton, Dean
Christ Church Cathedral
45 Church St., Hartford CT 06103-1201

Information about the Cathedral and its ministries may be found on this website.

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By HILARY WALDMAN
Courant Staff Writer

June 4, 2006

The Rev. Canon Clinton R. Jones, whose outreach to people on the margins of society from homosexuals to sex offenders to lonely older people and the desperately poor made him a legend in Hartford's Episcopal community, died early Saturday.

"He had just an amazing gift to bring the compassionate face of God into the lives of people who were having travail in their lives," said his friend and protege the Rev. William A. Doubleday.

Jones was 89 and friends said they believe the cause of death was recently diagnosed pancreatic cancer.

Born in Brookfield in 1916, Jones graduated from Bard College in 1938 and had intended to go to law school. Instead, he enrolled at General Theological Seminary in New York and was ordained in the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut three years later.

He joined the clergy staff of Christ Church Cathedral in 1946 and stayed for an unprecedented 40 years, retiring in 1986.

"He shaped the DNA of the cathedral as a place of welcome and care for all of God's people," said cathedral Dean Mark B. Pendleton.

Pendleton joked that Jones was such a fixture of the church that many people thought his first name was canon, a title that means senior administrative priest in an Episcopal parish. Even Doubleday, a close friend, addressed him as Canon Jones.

Even after he retired, Jones continued to be an active priest. Until recently he was part of a Sunday clergy rotation for four small churches that share ministers under an umbrella called the Greater Hartford Regional Ministry.

Jones was perhaps best known for his research in homosexuality and transsexuality. For 40 years, he counseled people struggling with their sexual orientation. He also wrote three books and numerous research articles on gender identification and helped to found a clinic for people preparing to undergo sex-change surgery.

In November, his friends at Christ Church Cathedral honored Jones by creating an award that bears his name. The award will be given yearly to a person of faith who works quietly in the community on issues at the cutting edge of change.

Pendleton and Doubleday said Jones' quiet dignity exemplified the spirit of the award. Doubleday said his friend possessed old-school manners and a formal style. Even as he aged gracefully in his Manchester home, he always dressed in a suit and tie for dinner, Doubleday said.

"He was quite a legend," Pendleton said.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete late Saturday, but Jones will be buried in a special ceremony for priests later this week.
Copyright 2006, Hartford Courant

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May 24, 2006

The Rev. John L. C. Mitman, priest associate at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford, has been elected a Special Honorary Canon by the Cathedral Chapter in recognition of his work throughout the Episcopal Church. Though historically clergy connected with a cathedral are given the rank of canon, the honorary designation recognizes significant service or achievement.

Canon Mitman has for many years been active in The Society for the Increase of the Ministry (SIM) based in West Hartford and is currently its executive director. SIM is in its 149th year of providing both financial and pastoral support to Episcopal seminarians in need across the United States. Under Mitman’s direction, SIM has embarked upon a campaign to raise a $200 million endowment to support seminarians and to address the crisis of the growing amount of student debt carried by many studying to become priests.

“John Mitman is a great friend of this cathedral,” said the Very Rev. Mark B. Pendleton, dean of Christ Church Cathedral. “He is a seasoned priest, a trusted colleague and a tireless worker on behalf of the Episcopal Church and the formation of ordained leadership of the future.”

A native of Washington, D. C., Canon Mitman is a graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Virginia and Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. He has served in parishes in this country as well as in England and Hong Kong, and is a former rector of St. James’s Parish in West Hartford.

The first Annual Dinner of The Friends of Christ Church Cathedral to celebrate its mission and ministry was held on November 12, 2005 at the Cathedral. At the Dinner, the Friends established the Canon Clinton R. Jones Award in honor of the life and ministry of Canon Jones. Beginning in 2006, the Award Committee of the Friends will identify from among those who have been nominated an individual whose life and work has exemplified values, accomplishments and passions similar to those that many of his admirers and parishioners have seen in the life of Canon Jones during his forty years of active ministry at Christ Church Cathedral.

Read the Story to learn more about Canon Jones, and the establishment of the Award at the Dinner.

NEWS: The Very Reverend Mark B. Pendleton was installed as an honorary canon of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Aberdeen, Scotland on Sunday, June 26, 2005. St. Andrew's Cathedral offers two honorary canon positions to American clergy: one nominated by the Bishop Connecticut, and one by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

Dean Pendleton is pictured standing next to and sitting in the "Seabury Stall," named for Samuel Seabury, who was born in Groton, CT in 1729. Seabury sailed for England in 1783 after having been selected by the clergy in Connecticut to pursue consecration as a bishop. As a citizen of the newly formed United States of America, he was unable to swear allegiance to the King of England, so he travelled north to Scotland to the city of Aberdeen, and was consecrated bishop on November 14, 1784.

The Pendleton family travelled to Scotland together and after a week in Scotland, enjoyed some vacation time in Ireland.

The Reverend Canon Allison St. Louis began her ministry as Vicar of the Cathedral on January 1, 2005.

Allison served as Dean Mark Pendleton's associate for four years in the Diocese of Washington. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Allison attended Howard University in Washington D.C. for her undergraduate, graduate and doctoral studies. She holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and worked as a psychologist for seven years before entering Virginia Seminary in 1998. She is a gifted pastor, teacher, and spiritual director and has demonstrated innovative leadership in the area of racial reconciliation. Canon St. Louis will oversee the Christian formation program for children, youth and adults program, provide support to and work to expand the laity’s role in the caring and visiting of Cathedral members.

INSTALLATION PICTURES

Waving to people before the procession enters the Cathedral: in the foreground, from the left: The Reverend Joseph Clark, rector, Church of the Ascension, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Jilda Alliotta, chalice bearer; the Reverend Canon Wilborne Austin, vicar, St. Stephen's Church, Bloomfield; the Reverend Andrea Smith, pastoral assistant at the Cathedral; and the Very Reverend Richard Mansfield, Eighth Dean of the Cathedral.

Presentation of the new Dean: In front of the steps, facing the Right Reverend Andrew Smith, Bishop of Connecticut, are, from left: the Reverend Robert Harvey, Chair of the Search Committee, and rector of Christ Church, Ansonia; Eunice Groark, Cathedral Chancellor; Dean Pendleton; Diane Obenauer, from the Diocese of Ohio, long-time family friend of the Dean; and Rose Fichera-Eagen, Vice-Chair of the Parish Committee. Standing with the Bishop is the Reverend Donald Richey, Chaplain to the Bishop.

Vesting of the new Dean: The Right Reverend Andrew Smith, Bishop of Connecticut, places a cope on Dean Mark Pendleton. Next to the Bishop is his Chaplain, the Reverend Donald Richey.

Greeting the Congregation: the new Dean and his family receive the applause of the congregation. From left: William Pendleton; Lydia Pendleton; Dean Pendleton; Leslie Pendleton; Bishop Smith.

Speaking to the congregation: Dean Pendleton expresses his gratitude for the warm welcome support given to him and his family.

A quartet of Acolytes: from left: Nolan Evans; Jordan McBride; William Pendleton; David Habersang.

The Very Reverend Mark B. Pendleton was installed as the ninth Dean of Christ Church Cathedral on October 17, 2004. Chosen after a nationwide search, Dean Pendleton was formerly rector of the Church of Our Saviour in Silver Spring, Maryland. Prior to his post in Maryland, he served as rector for five years at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in South Glastonbury. He began his ministry in Hartford on August 15th.

"Mark Pendleton is an enormously talented priest who has shown extraordinary leadership in the parishes he has served," stated the Right Rev. Andrew D. Smith, Bishop of the Diocese, in a letter to Cathedral members. "It is with great joy that I announce his appointment as Dean." Pendleton's current parish has experienced significant growth during his tenure, and is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse in the Diocese of Washington. While in Connecticut, Pendleton, who is fluent in Spanish, was involved with El Comite Hispano, a Spanish culture and language committee serving the diocese. He has had extensive experience in ministry in Latin America and Cuba and has been chair of the Latino Ministry Committee of the Diocese of Washington. He also served as president of Episcopal Social Services in Connecticut. He is a graduate of Florida State University and earned a master of divinity degree from General Theological Seminary in New York City.

"I am deeply moved to have been called to be the ninth dean of Christ Church Cathedral," said Pendleton. "I look forward to leading an institution that has been well sustained by the Rev. Anne Mallonee, Interim Dean. As we enter a new era, we will build also on the many accomplishments of former Dean Richard Mansfield who established a strong diverse community which took a leadership role in the civic life of Hartford and provided a spiritual home for the entire Diocesan family."

Pendleton is married to Leslie Glover Pendleton, an author of cookbooks and a former editor of Gourmet Magazine. They have two children, William, age 12, and Lydia, age 9.

New Dean Embraces Diversity

Christ Church Pastor To Be Installed Oct. 17
By FRANCES GRANDY TAYLOR
Courant Staff Writer

October 8 2004 The incoming dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford sees his new assignment as a homecoming. The Rev. Mark B. Pendleton was rector of St. Luke's Church in South Glastonbury before moving to Silver Springs, Md., six years ago. "We're coming back to an emerging vibrant place," Pendleton said of Hartford. "So many things are now underway that had not yet begun back then. It's exciting for us to see this long-awaited renaissance." Pendleton, 41, will be installed Oct. 17 as the ninth dean of Christ Church Cathedral, which is the diocesan cathedral of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. He was selected by Bishop Andrew Smith in mid-August to lead the cathedral, following a nationwide search. The two met years ago as priests and served together on diocesan committees. Smith said Pendleton was chosen because of his experience in ministering to a diverse congregation. "Mark served as rector of an enormously diverse congregation," Smith said. "The people there spoke so strongly of his creative and personal ability to relate to people of different racial and cultural backgrounds." The cathedral at 45 Main St. is the official seat of the bishop and considered his headquarters. As dean, Pendleton will be the priest in charge of the cathedral and responsible for the ministry there. He said he expects the challenges he faces here to be similar to those in suburban Maryland, where people from a range of cultures, including immigrants, made up his diverse congregation. "My church had over 30 nationalities, and I see similar dynamics here. ... I see a diverse community working toward a similar mission, open enough to receive different expressions of how to do that." Pendleton, who is fluent in Spanish, attended an Episcopal seminary in Cuba, and lived in Colombia in 1986. Over the years, Pendleton and his wife, Leslie, have sponsored families from Cuba and helped them to resettle in the United States. In his Maryland parish, Pendleton conducted weekly services in Spanish for the large Salvadoran population there. He said he hopes to offer programs and activities at the cathedral to make the Hispanic community feel welcome. Portions of his installation service will be conducted in Spanish. Pendleton, who has a 9-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son, lives in Hartford's West End, in the historic Wallace Stevens house, which is owned by the Episcopal Diocese. "It has been a wonderful experience to move into a house with a history to it," he said. During the installation ceremony, the Rev. Richard E. Kilgour, rector of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Aberdeen, Scotland, will be made an honorary canon of the cathedral. The first Episcopal bishop of Connecticut, Samuel Seabury, was consecrated in Aberdeen in 1784. The Diocese of Connecticut is the oldest in the U.S. Episcopal Church. Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez is among the civic leaders who have been invited to attend. The day after Pendleton's installation will be a momentous one for the Episcopal Church. The Lambeth/Eames Commission in England is expected to release its report in response to last year's election of the first openly gay bishop in the U.S. Episcopal Church. "My hope is that, when the report is communicated, that all sides take a good amount of time to sit and read it before reacting to it," Pendleton said, referring to the bitter divisions that have threatened to split the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. "Although many of us already have our views, I hope people will really sit with it and think through all of its implications." In addition to reaching out to a diverse congregation, Pendleton also hopes to welcome more out-of-town visitors at the cathedral. The cathedral will get new neighbors when renovations to the Civic Center add new housing to the area; the Civic Center also is expected to draw more convention-goers. "My challenge will be to equip the congregation to receive new visitors - many Episcopalians seek out local churches when they travel," Pendleton said. "I would hope to have an expanded ministry that will reach out to meeting-goers." The cathedral is often able to offer programs that individual parishes cannot afford to do, Pendleton added, and Episcopalians sometimes are members of both the cathedral and their local parish church. Copyright 2004, Hartford Courant