New Canon for Cathedral Life

A Note from Dean Nathan LeRud:

Dear Trinity friends,

What a year it’s been! Last December, I gathered together a small group of Trinity leaders to discern with me the call of a new Canon for Cathedral Life. At that time I asked the Rev’d Linda Potter to serve as an interim Canon – Linda’s initial agreement was to stay with us through the summer. What none of us could have predicted a year ago was how different our process would look from the search we anticipated! I want to take this opportunity to thank the most amazing and faithful Search Committee I could have hoped for: Julie Falk, Alan Murray, Kelley Pecis, Lucy Reynolds, Andrew Wright, and Susan Zall. They have steered this process through with grace and wisdom, and I have had so much fun working with them. A year later, we are finally ready to announce the results of this process. Like so much in our world, the position of Canon for Cathedral Life has changed dramatically, and we’ve had to begin with a fresh set of goals and outcomes. We have prayed and reflected together about whom God was calling to join us as our third priest, responsible for the pastoral care, newcomer and welcome ministries, and embodying the uncommon warmth and radical hospitality that have become both hallmarks and lodestars for this community as we struggle with the question of what it will mean for us to embody radical hospitality in ways we couldn’t have envisioned a year ago. I am delighted to announce that the Rev’d Shana M. P. McCauley, vicar of St. Edward’s Episcopal Church in Silverton, will be joining us in January as Trinity’s new Canon for Cathedral Life. Shana and I have been friends and colleagues in this diocese for a decade – we started in Oregon at about the same time, in 2009. Since that time I’ve watched her work with a small and sometimes struggling congregation, and lead them to a new sense of mission and vitality.

Click the video above to hear Shana herself tell you the story of St. Edward’s, a congregation which embodies Margaret Mead’s famous words, “never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.” I’m so excited that Shana will be bringing her infectious energy, her questing and curious mind, her deep pastoral heart and her can-do engagement to the daunting task of rebuilding community life at Trinity Cathedral on the other side of the Great Pandemic of 2020. Meanwhile, we say farewell to Linda Potter, who has been so much more to Trinity than an “interim." She has been a lifeline for me, for the Trinity staff, and for the countless parishioners who have turned to Linda for support and counsel. Linda is one of the wisest people I know. She’s a great thought-partner who trusts her intuition (and her dreams!) and has helped me and all of us to hear more clearly what God is up to in our midst. We’ll celebrate Linda on Sunday, December 27 – keep an eye out for details on that celebration. I hope you’ll be able to join us virtually that day as we give thanks for all that Linda has brought to this community. Friends, change is never easy. We’re in the midst of deep and searching change on all sorts of levels in our lives. But change also brings new energy and fresh thinking – and as we face this newest chapter of Trinity’s life, I’m excited by the possibilities and prospects that lie before us. Join me in welcoming Shana, in honoring Linda, and in praying earnestly and faithfully for the Trinity Cathedral that is emerging among us. In spite of everything around us, I believe our future is a bright one indeed.

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A Note from Shana:

Dear Trinitarians, I am thrilled to be joining you for my next season of ministry. I have served for the last 11 years with the lovely folks of St. Edward’s in Silverton, OR. It has been a true adventure as our small group – an average of about 20 people on a Sunday – has built a labyrinth; closed and reopened; changed the law and built tiny homes for homeless women. I have seen what the Holy Spirit can do when a few people pray and roll up their sleeves. I can’t wait to see what we will do together. I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, the child of a Caucasian dad and a Korean immigrant mom. I majored in journalism at the University of Washington, and received my Masters of Divinity from Seabury Western in the Chicago area. Before St. Edward’s, I served at a parish in Danville, CA. My husband Ryan and I have been married for 14 years and our family is excited to move to Portland in the next month or so (and also daunted by the task!). We have three sons – Killian who is 11, Quincy who is 9, and Finlo who is 3; two pandemic pug puppies Haberdash and Peridot, and a whole bunch of fish, shrimp and snails (not the eating kind 🙂). I am ready to see what the Holy Spirit is up to in Portland, and excited to be a part of it. Blessings, Shana

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A Note from Linda:

Dear Trinity Companions, On the first Sunday, in October 2019, I began sharing ministry with all of you. Little did any of us know at the time what a state we would be in a year later. You welcomed me with open arms and hearts. You have shared with me your stories, your lives, your challenges and your joys. And you have allowed and encouraged me to be who I really am. Thank you for the laughter, the wisdom, the tears, the pondering, the strategic planning, the fund raising and the willingness to live into a time of uncertainty with grace, determination and hope. My last Sunday with you will be on December 27th, and I shall miss you – the Catechesis team who taught me again & again the Holy power of collaboration; the Cathedral Life Commission whose willingness to explore and expand our ministries revealing the Holy Spirit’s work; the Pastoral Care Committee who have been relentless in prayer and tending to our congregation; the Music Commission and all our musicians who have opened my ears to the elegance of note; the exceptional Trinity staff – every single one of you is awarded a crown of patience for my incessant questions. And to my colleagues, Nathan, Matthew and Ken, my heart overflows with gratitude for the sacred moments that we have shared together. A part of my heart will always be in Trinity Cathedral. I give thanks for all of you; may you continue in the good work that God has set before you. With a grateful heart, Linda