The Rt. Rev. Nicholas Knisely, Bishop of Rhode Island, pays tribute to the Rev. Canon Linda L. Grenz as he announces her plan to retire as canon to the ordinary:
Seven years ago, a few days after the special convention where I was elected your next bishop, I called my old friend and mentor Linda Grenz to talk about what had happened and what might come next. We talked about many things in that conversation, and by the end of it I had convinced her to think about being my Canon to the Ordinary. Because of Bishop Wolf’s graciousness during the transition, Linda and I began our work in Rhode Island on the same day, and she was commissioned as Canon to the Ordinary at our first convention together.
Much of what has been accomplished around the diocese in the past seven years has been because of Canon Grenz’s work, her creativity and her passion for the Gospel. … The Cathedral of St. John would not be poised for its new future without her work. The renewed emphasis on congregational ministry and development would not be where it is without her efforts. The camp, the diocesan offices, the Episcopal Housing Foundation and so much more have been changed for the better because of her work.
But it is time for the next chapter in her life and in our life as a diocese. Canon Grenz informed me earlier this month that she intends to retire from active ministry this summer. She and her husband, Del Glover, will be moving back to Washington, D.C,. to be with their family and to begin the next part of their story.
Linda tells congregations as they begin the process of transition between clergy calls that leaving a position well sets up the next clergy for a renewed and successful shared ministry. I expect Canon Grenz will model that for all of us during the next few months.
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.
