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Dear People of St. Paul’s,
I am writing today with the joyful news that the Rev. Rebecca Barnes, rector of St. Luke’s Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania, has accepted the vestry’s call to be the cathedral’s next dean.
Mother Barnes comes to us with an extensive background in music and liturgy, a reputation as a caring and committed pastor, and a commitment to working on behalf of the poor and the marginalized. The vestry called her after a nationwide search that attracted a dozen candidates. She will be at the altar here for the first time on July 7 and in the office beginning on August 6. On September 15, Bishop Sean will formally seat her in the cathedral during a celebration of your new ministry together.
You will hear much more from Mother Barnes as you begin your ministry, but for the meantime, she has sent this message of greeting:
“St. Paul’s Cathedral has a long and distinguished history and I am thrilled and honored to be called as its next dean. After a rich and prayerful discernment with the search committee and vestry, I look forward to serving with the cathedral members, the diocesan partnership, and the greater Buffalo community as we move into this next chapter in the life of St. Paul’s. I am excited to embark on this path together, and dream about possibilities for the future, and how we may grow in greater service to God, and the world that God so loves.”
At St. Luke’s, Mother Barnes established and served as president and chief executive of Cypress House, a social services nonprofit with plans to open a bakery that will provide jobs for formerly incarcerated people returning to the community. She also oversaw the celebration of the historic parish’s 150th anniversary.
In the Diocese of Bethlehem, she serves on the Commission on Ministry and the Commission for Liturgy and Music. She is also a commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer and Certified Facilitator Trainer with Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. During her tenure in Scranton, Mother Barnes also served as president of the Scranton Area Ministerium; as a commissioner on the city’s Human Relations Commission; as chaplain of the regional chapter of the American Guild of Organists; and on the board of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Choral Society.
She is a graduate of the General Theological Seminary, New York City, where she earned both Master of Divinity and Master of Sacred Theology degrees. She also holds Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and German from Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York and a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.
Evelyn Smigelsky, who chaired the search committee, says Mother Barnes made an immediate impression. “I think what struck us immediately in our first Zoom interview was just her spirituality, her deep religious faith; her deep belief in God and in Jesus. It was apparent that everything she said was authentic and that it came from the deepest place in her heart.”
The committee sought a candidate who is willing to make a long-term commitment to the cathedral; who is a skilled liturgist; who is compassionate in responding to human need, and who is committed to promoting social justice ministries. Mother Barnes “checked all the boxes,” Evelyn says.
I want to express my thanks to Evelyn and all the members of the search committee who have worked diligently since early January to make this call, and to my colleague Canon Craig Dressler, who has been invaluable in supporting the search and this transition. I am also grateful to the vestry, which has been steadfast in leading the cathedral community as we have emerged from the pandemic.
With this call, I will soon be concluding the two-year ministry as your dean that Bishop Sean and the vestry asked me to undertake in June of 2022. At that time, we entered into a season of ministry together not quite knowing where God would lead us. The goal of calling a long-term dean was clear, but we had to make the path to this destination by walking it. Together, we have worked on practical things like property and financial issues, and on rejuvenating committees and supporting outreach ministries. Our weekly email of parish activities is an outward sign of increased vitality, as the list seems to grow longer each week with people who come together for ministry and want to share what they are doing with the congregation and the community we serve.
I will have more to say about my own plans in the near future, but they include my work as the diocesan partnership’s canon for mission program and with our ordination process. I look forward to the opportunity to say a proper farewell, but for today, let us prepare to welcome Mother Barnes and her wife, the Rev. Elizabeth Grohowski and rejoice in the beginning of this new era of serving God’s mission in the city of Buffalo and the Diocese of Western New York.
Peace,
Twila+
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