New Dean and Rector at St. Paul’s Cathedral
The Reverend Jeanne Finan has accepted the call to be the Sixth Dean and Twenty-third Rector of the of Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington, Vermont. The Reverend Finan began her ministry at the Episcopal Cathedral at the end of March 2014 and will be officially installed at 5 PM on May 31, 2014. A reception follows the worship service.
Jeanne Finan will be the first woman Dean to serve the 350 member congregation first organized in 1830. She comes to Burlington from St. John’s Episcopal Church, Asheville, NC where she was the Rector and prior to that St. Mary of the Hills in Blowing Rock, NC where she served as the Associate Rector.
Jeanne entered the ministry after a career in museums, primarily in developing and directing children’s museums. She graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2003 and continued her postgraduate studies in Celtic Christianity at the University of Wales, Lampeter. She did both earlier undergraduate and graduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Jeanne Finan is a recognized leader not only with her congregations, but also in leading retreats and pilgrimages. She offers inspiring sermons and enthusiastic and creative engagement with community ministries She is highly regarded for her writing and has published both poems and one book, Remember Your Baptism: Ten Meditations (Cowley Publications). She blogs regularly at http://rememberyourbaptism.blogspot.com.
When asked what drew her to Vermont and this congregation, Jeanne states , “I was impressed with the diverse ways the Cathedral weaves the arts into their worship and also their extensive efforts to make a difference in the life of the surrounding community. Both the Cathedral and Vermont strike me as open and welcoming to all God’s people. Cathedrals have the opportunity to honor the traditions but simultaneously push the boundaries with new, missional work.”
Longtime members of St. Paul’s and co-chairs of the search committee, Carol Moran Brown and Chris Leopold, expressed their excitement for Jeanne’s leadership at St. Paul’s: “ She embodies all of the essential qualities that St. Paul’s identified for our new Dean – an inspirational, collaborative and innovative leader; a direct, insightful communicator; a warm, joyful and approachable pastor; a spiritually committed teacher and learner. We look forward to Jeanne becoming an integral part of Chittenden County’s leadership on issues of faith and social justice in our community.”
The Right Reverend Thomas Ely, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, will preside at the service and the Reverend Lauren Winner will preach. The Rev. Winner is a professor of Christian Spirituality at Duke Divinity School, serves as the priest at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Louisburg, NC and is the author of numerous books, including Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath, and Still.
St. Paul’s Cathedral located at 2 Cherry St. Burlington, Vermont offers 3 services on Sunday and choral singing for children and adults. The Cathedral’s current ministries include supporting Cathedral Square Corporation, Joint Urban Ministry Project and Vermont Interfaith Action. St. Paul’s offers Cathedral Arts, a Christian Meditation Center and numerous opportunities for Christian education and formation.
For more information, call the Cathedral Church of St. Paul at 802-864-0471.