Amy Ryder Wentz, senior warden of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, and Tony Wesley, junior warden, announce the call of its 12th dean:
The Wardens and Vestry of Trinity Cathedral are delighted to announce the election of the Reverend Bernard J. (BJ) Owens IV as the Cathedral’s 12th Dean. BJ and his family hope to be at Trinity by Christmas. The Holy Spirit has led us to this moment and now is a time to give thanks to God and prepare for the Owens family arrival.
Bishop [Mark] Hollingsworth and the Search Committee presented their nominee to the Vestry on October 16, 2018. After a thorough and in-depth search process, emerging out of the thoughtful input of both Trinity’s congregation and the diocesan community, the Committee found BJ to have a passion for the Gospel and a joyful, contagious love for Christ. He is a spiritual leader committed to guiding others to a deeper relationship with God, and shares the Cathedral’s commitment to be an inclusive community of faith. BJ is compassionate, authentic, humble, and loving. He has enthusiasm for the future of Trinity Cathedral, is motivated by social justice and reconciliation, and has an inviting sense of humor. After meeting and interviewing BJ, and based on its own work and prayer, the Vestry unanimously elected BJ as the Dean of Trinity Cathedral on October 25, 2018.
BJ has served as the Rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Greensboro, N.C., since 2010, where he has grown the church’s family ministries, united the congregation’s gift of multiple generations, strengthened stewardship, and structured the church for long-term vitality. BJ’s wife, Jo, is an ordained Presbyterian minister. They have two lovely children, Amelia (9 years) and Graham (5 years). It is exciting to welcome the Owens family to our diocesan family, and we are confident that they will find in us a wonderful community of faith.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
