The Rev. Canon Randal Gardner

[Church Divinity School of the Pacific] The Rev. Dr. W. Mark Richardson, dean and president of Church Divinity School of the Pacific, announced Aug. 4 that the Rev. Canon Randal Gardner ‘84 will join the seminary in mid-August as dean of All Saints Chapel.

“For nearly nine years, Randal has been an active and invaluable member of the CDSP board of trustees,” said Richardson. “When his term ended this spring, I was delighted to learn that we had the opportunity to share his lifetime of rich liturgical experience and gift for leadership with our students.”

“I am truly happy to be able to contribute to the seminary and its worship life, where my own faith was so enriched and blessed years ago,” said Gardner. “Having been enriched by the liturgical education CDSP has been offering for decades, I have been a student of worship and prayer throughout my years as a priest. I hope that grounding will help us make the chapel of the school a place of blessing for many.”

Gardner, who holds an M.Div. from CDSP, a certificate of theology from Ripon College Cuddesdon, and a D. Min. from Virginia Theological Seminary, will share his time during the fall semester between CDSP and Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, where he has served as canon for congregational life since 2013.

Ordained to the priesthood in 1985, Gardner served congregations in the Diocese of Olympia for twenty years and for seven years was rector of St. James by-the-Sea, La Jolla in the Diocese of San Diego. From 2006 until earlier this year, he served as an adjunct faculty member in the doctor of ministry program of the Virginia Seminary, preparing doctoral students to complete their independent research and writing to earn their degree.

Church Divinity School of the Pacific, a seminary of the Episcopal Church and a member of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, educates students in an ecumenical and interreligious context to develop leaders who can proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world through traditional and emerging ministries.