Cathedral Clergy

The Right Reverend Samuel Johnson Howard, a native of North Carolina, was elected bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida on May 16, 2003 and was consecrated at St. John's Cathedral, Jacksonville, November 1, 2003. He was instituted as 8th bishop of the Diocese of Florida on January 29th, 2004. Bishop Howard served as vicar of Trinity Church Wall Street, New York, since December of 1997. Active in church and community activities, Bishop Howard served as president of John Heuss House, a homeless drop- in shelter in downtown Manhattan, and as a board member of St. Margaret's House, which furnishes housing for the elderly and mobility- impaired in New York. He also served on the board of the Downtown Alliance, a local community site, transportation ad public services. Prior to moving to New York, Bishop Howard was rector of St. James' Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Before that he was Assistant to the Rector of Holy Comforter in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bishop Howard graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1989. He practiced law in Raleigh, North Carolina from 1976 through 1986, serving as Assistant United States Attorney and Lead Attorney for the Federal Drug Enforcement Task Force for the Eastern District of North Carolina. In that role, he established and directed the Federal Public Defender office in that state. He also served as an attorney on the staff of the United States Senate Commerce Committee. In addition to being an alumnus of Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, he is a graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and of the Law School of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Bishop Howard and his wife Marie have two sons, Augustus and Charles.

Bishop Howard The Right Reverend Samuel Johnson Howard, a native of North Carolina, was elected bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida on May 16, 2003 and was consecrated at St. John's Cathedral, Jacksonville, November 1, 2003. He was instituted as 8th bishop of the Diocese of Florida on January 29th, 2004.

Bishop Howard served as vicar of Trinity Church Wall Street, New York, since December of 1997. Active in church and community activities, Bishop Howard served as president of John Heuss House, a homeless drop- in shelter in downtown Manhattan, and as a board member of St. Margaret's House, which furnishes housing for the elderly and mobility- impaired in New York. He also served on the board of the Downtown Alliance, a local community site, transportation ad public services.

Prior to moving to New York, Bishop Howard was rector of St. James' Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Before that he was Assistant to the Rector of Holy Comforter in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bishop Howard graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1989. He practiced law in Raleigh, North Carolina from 1976 through 1986, serving as Assistant United States Attorney and Lead Attorney for the Federal Drug Enforcement Task Force for the Eastern District of North Carolina. In that role, he established and directed the Federal Public Defender office in that state. He also served as an attorney on the staff of the United States Senate Commerce Committee.

In addition to being an alumnus of Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, he is a graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and of the Law School of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Bishop Howard and his wife Marie have two sons, Augustus and Charles.

The Very Reverend Katherine B. (Kate) Moorehead is the 10th Dean of St. John's Cathedral and Dean of the Diocese of Florida. Kate comes to us from Wichita, KS, where she served as the rector of St. James Episcopal Church for eight years. Prior to serving St. James, Kate was rector of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Bolling Springs, SC.

Kate graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College, receiving The Sara Caitlin Award for Religious Leadership and graduated Cum laude with a Master of Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary, receiving the Harris Award for Academic Excellence and Leadership Ability. She is a author of three books, Organic God (2006), Between Two Worlds (2004) and Get Over Yourself: God's here (2009). Kate and her husband James (J.D.) have three sons--Luke (11), Jake (9), and Max (5).

We welcome Dean Moorehead and her family to Jacksonville, our Diocese, and our cathedral community.

The Reverend J. Perry Smith, our Canon for Pastoral Care, joined the cathedral staff in November, 2009. The Bishop of Florida, The Rt. Rev. S. Johnson Howard, named Fr. Smith Vicar of St. Cyprian's in June 2007, after he moved to St. Augustine from Baltimore, Maryland, where he had served as a deacon and priest since 1993. Fr. Smith has been a major force in rebuilding St. Cyprian's into a vital mission, increasing average Sunday attendance, plate offerings and growing for outreach.

Ordained a vocational deacon in 1988 in the Diocese of the Rio Grande, Fr. Smith was then a FBI Agent working in El Paso, Texas. He was heavily engaged in church building, particularly among Hispanics. Transferred to Minneapolis, he became the diocesan cathedral deacon, where he served liturgically and as the principal homebound visitor, and the coordinator for the soup kitchen volunteers.

In 1993, again transferred, Fr. Smith was named cathedral deacon in the Diocese of Maryland and served there liturgically to both the English and Spanish speaking congregations, and he was pastor to the sick and homebound until he retired from the FBI in 2001. Raised-up by the community and supported by the Bishop of Maryland, Fr. Smith attended The Protestant Theological Seminary in Virginia, graduating in 2003 with a Masters in Theological Studies.

Ordained priest on May 25, 2002 by the Rt. Rev. Robert Ihloff, Fr. Smith served as Assistant Rector at Emmanuel Church in Baltimore for two years. His duties included preaching, pastoral care and visitation to 22 homebound parishioners; and celebrant/administrator for the Wednesday mid-day Eucharist and concert series. He conducted Lay Eucharistic Minister, lay reader and acolyte training. He was also a member of the diocesan Commission on Ministry. His last cure in the Diocese of Maryland was Chaplain to the Episcopal Congregation at Ft. Meade, Maryland.

Fr. Smith's special interests and skills include writing for publication and tennis. He lived in Spain and Latin America for many years and is a fluent Spanish speaker.

The Reverend Dr. Robert Askren, Canon for Adult Education, has served as a priest and teacher for more cher for more than 40 years. He came St. John's Cathedral as a priest associate in 2006 after his retirement from full-time parish ministry. He currently serves as director of the newly formed Institute for Christian Studies at the Cathedral.

Fr. Askren previously served as interim rector at Trinity Parish in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and as interim rector at Trinity Parish in St. Augustine. He was associate rector of Church of Our Savior in Jacksonville from 1996-2002

Cathedral Clergy

Saint Johns Cathedral