Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington, Kentucky, has announced the selection of former Washington National Cathedral staff member Rev. Canon Carol L. Wade as its next dean.
The Herald-Leader reports:
The former canon precentor at the National Cathedral, Wade is the seventh dean and 22nd rector of the Lexington cathedral, which was founded in 1796. She will begin her duties in September. She succeeds the Right Rev. Morris K. Thompson, who was elected bishop of Louisiana, and the interim dean, the Rev. Larae Rutenbar.
Wade serves as a national consultant and speaker to congregations, dioceses and church leaders seeking renewal and transformation, according to a press release from the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington. At the National Cathedral, Wade created worship for many high-profile services on behalf of the Episcopal Church, including the funeral for former President Gerald R. Ford and the inaugural prayer service for President Barack Obama.
A diocesan release quotes Wade, The Rt. Rev. Stacy F. Sauls, Bishop of Lexington, and The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop:
Wade:
God has a dream to heal the world. Cathedrals are meant to give us a glimpse of that dream, and in so doing, to fortify and inspire us for that holy work and mission.
Jefferts Schori:
I am delighted to hear that Christ Church Cathedral has called Canon Carol Wade to be their next Dean. Her abundant gifts will bless that cathedral as well as the diocese, but they will also resound to the glory of God far beyond. May the Episcopal Church in Lexington find much blessing in this new partnership.
Sauls:
I could not possibly be more pleased at the (Christ Church) Vestry’s choice to call the Rev. Carol Wade to be the next Dean of Christ Church Cathedral. I am confident in their discernment, and know first-hand how prayerfully and carefully they have engaged the process of listening to the people of the Cathedral, collaborating with their Bishop, and being open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It has been my privilege to know Carol for several years in the work at the National Cathedral in Washington and as the Chaplain to the House of Bishops. She brings a depth of faith combined with cathedral experience that few others could have offered. She also brings a vision, honed in experience, of what the ministry of a cathedral can be, and I know from our conversations of her excitement at how that vision fits with the direction the Diocese of Lexington has been pursuing and the people of the Cathedral have supported and sought so faithfully to engage. In Carol Wade, God has called a world-class preacher and a pastor of great sensitivity to people of all sorts and conditions. Most importantly, I am absolutely confident that she will lead the Cathedral to be all that it can be. I am grateful to the people of the Cathedral for their patience and perseverance during this transition period, to Carol for her willingness to accept this new ministry, and to God for God’s continuing grace and providence. I confess to only one disappointment – that I will be unable to work with Carol as Bishop due to my own transition to be the Chief Operation Officer of the Episcopal Church.