Grace Cathedral

Dear Friends,

Long before I joined our staff team, Grace Cathedral had a face for me. It was the face of Charles Shipley, our Head Verger. Most times that I came to the Cathedral, Charles would be set up for services, talking to tourists, pointing out architectural and artistic details, and walking reverently in procession. I somehow intuited that Charles with his generosity of spirit represented the community.

Today I am writing to share the news that Charles will be retiring from his Cathedral duties at the end of April.

Charles first began work as a verger at Grace Cathedral on December 1, 1988. Although he left San Francisco for a while to serve in Kansas City for a few years he has been an essential part of our life together for a generation. We are very grateful that Charles has served as our ambassador to the city and the whole world. We rejoice in the way that he has brought us together for so many years.

I know that over the next few weeks you will want to thank Charles for all that he has done for our shared life over the years. We will celebrate his life and ministry at a special evensong on April 28.

I hope that you are doing well in these days as we move beyond the Omicron phase of the pandemic and into a more hopeful time. Our theme is “The Year of Connection” and I pray that you will be inspired by the ministry of Charles Shipley and find new ways to connect more profoundly to our shared life.

Love,
Malcolm

The Very Rev. Malcolm Clemens Young, ThD
Dean of Grace Cathedral

P.S. In this week’s #MoreGoodNews, we explore how to see God in another person’s face. Watch onYouTube today!

P.P.S. In this week’s sermon, we reflect on our mission statement — Reimagining Church with Courage, Joy and Wonder. Reimagining church involves us in deep joy because it opens our eyes to the astonishing abundance that God gives us. Watch on YouTube today!