Steven L. Thomason named dean of St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle

Posted Jul 16, 2012

[Saint Mark’s Cathedral] With thankfulness to God, the Vestry of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral is pleased to announce the call of The Reverend Doctor Steven L. Thomason to serve as the cathedral’s seventh dean.

In the Episcopal Church, the dean is called by the cathedral vestry, the church’s elected governing body.

Steve is currently Priest Associate at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, the largest parish in the Diocese of Arkansas. He holds a Masters of Divinity from the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest. Steve was ordained in 2004 at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church in Springdale, AR, where he served as Rector.

“I am excited, humbled, overwhelmed and immensely joyous with the invitation to serve in your midst,” said Thomason. “The generous spirit of St. Mark’s has been palpable in this call process, in the people who have represented St. Mark’s Cathedral, the Seattle community and the Diocese so well, and in the open, honest way we have mutually laid the foundation for what I trust will be a creative, life-giving and joyful relationship. I look forward to meeting you all, listening to you and learning from you, as we bear witness together to God’s love.”

Embracing a broad liturgical style, Steve finds that our common Sunday morning worship gives meaning, purpose, and perspective to his work. His leadership style is grounded firmly in scripture and a desire to create space for people to grow into a new and hopeful reality. He currently teaches a vibrant Christian formation program and promotes a pastoral presence in a listening and compassionate way.

Steve believes the Episcopal Church must engage in conversations on environmental sustainability, social justice, and the pressures of 21st Century American family life. Steve invites us to a call of action that extends beyond the walls of the church.  His ministerial interests include a theology of health care, clinical and social ethics, and the dialogue between science and religion.

Also a Doctor of Medicine, Steve is a member of the faculty at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.  The Bishop of Arkansas sanctioned Steve’s unique calling in bi-vocational ministry as Interim CEO and Chief Medical Officer at Circle of Life Hospice, a non-profit organization providing compassionate end-of-life care.  He recently travelled to Belize to assist a foundation in establishing hospice care. Steve’s diverse professional background demonstrates his organizational and operational leadership and management skill in fiscal matters, capital campaigns, strategic planning and visioning.

Steve and his wife Kathy have been married for 27 years and have two young adult daughters, Jane and Jill. When not at work, he balances work with daily exercise, blogging, tending roses and cooking a fine meal to enjoy with family and friends.

Steve and Kathy Thomason will join our community on September 1st.  The Rev. Thomason’s installation as Dean will be on Saturday, October 13th at 2:00pm in the Cathedral Nave.

In the meantime, you can learn more about our Dean by visiting his blog.

We look forward to sharing life in community with Steve and Kathy as we live out our Baptismal covenant and “welcome all to live the light of Christ.”

Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral

Located on Capitol Hill in Seattle, we are a community of faith–people of God, who seek to proclaim boldly by word and action the reconciling Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that the light and love of God are at the very heart of all things. This light and love are fully manifested for Christians in the life of Jesus of Nazareth and we believe they are also revealed in all of the great faith traditions. We commit to living into this sacred light and sharing it freely with all. Our community is known for its extensive outreach to the homeless and powerless and we provide a Commons where issues of justice and faith are explored. The Cathedral is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visitors are always welcome to stop by for quiet reflection and prayer. Services are offered throughout the week and are open to all. Saint Mark’s is also the home of great music, and every Sunday evening for over 50 years the ancient service of Compline has been sung. More at www.saintmarks.org.


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