Today is my first Sunday as Interim Dean at Saint John’s Cathedral. I’ve spent the past week getting acquainted with the staff, setting up my office, attending meetings, learning which keys open which doors, finding my way around Denver, talking with the Bishop, and signing documents pertaining to my new location. It’s been an intense and busy week, made so much easier by those who have lent a hand.
In addition to the usual duties of a Dean, an intentional interim is trained to help the congregation clarify its history, discover its present identity, equip its leadership, strengthen its ties to the wider church, and prepare to make a commitment to a new day in mission when the next dean is called. There will be numerous opportunities for members to tell their stories and I've already heard several remarkable ones. People have told me about how they were invited to be a part of this Cathedral community years ago, how they came to be married here, how they raised their family here, how they provided leadership during other transitions, and how the people here shepherded them through difficult times.
Fr. Patrick Malloy has guided some remarkable transition work in the last year. I am stepping onto the journey where he stepped off and looking forward to completing the remaining tasks. There will be a lot of work to do during this phase of transition. In light of that, I'm appointing a group of people to be in charge of fun. They will remind us from time to time that the Christian life is characterized by joy and help us avoid taking ourselves too seriously.
The top priority of my ministry here is to provide leadership that will help Saint John’s and their next Dean to have a fruitful ministry together. We are off to a very good start. The key ingredient to fruitful ministry is common prayer. For Christians, transitions are always times for prayerful discernment. Our prayers have results beyond our imagination or control. Our prayers let God know we are receptive to divine guidance. Our prayers help us watch over one another in love. Our prayers make the work of transition sacred work.
To that end, I’m distributing cards containing two prayers for daily use. One prayer is for the Cathedral community, asking God to help us to know and understand what things we ought to do, and to give us grace and power faithfully to accomplish those things. The other prayer calls upon God to guide the minds of those who will choose a new Dean, asking that we may we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for God’s people and equip us for our ministries.
Please pray these prayers and check in from time to time to see what kind of epiphanies God is giving us as our eyes are opened to behold God’s hand at work among this faithful flock. Jesus promised his followers that they would do even greater works than he did during his brief earthly ministry. I truly believe that. Our time together may be short, but it will be in the hands of our God who can do more with us than we can do by ourselves. There will be signs and wonders!
Let’s get started.
The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue
Interim Dean
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