Cathedral News

Frequently Asked Questions about Our New Dean

July 14, 2010

Describe the process behind how the Rev. Cn. Dr. Shaw was appointed Grace Cathedral’s eighth dean.
After an extensive international search a selection committee – made up of Grace Cathedral congregation members and trustees as well as laity and clergy from the Bay Area – narrowed the field down in three different stages. By March, they had three finalists, each of whom visited San Francisco in the spring. At each stage, the candidates were put through to the next round on the basis of their talents, experience and qualifications. (For more details of this process, you can look at the companion document “The Process to Call the Eighth Dean of Grace Cathedral”.) The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus, Bishop of California, nominated Dr. Shaw to Grace Cathedral’s Board of Trustees at a special board meeting on Fri., June 25. The trustees enthusiastically voted to approve her nomination by unanimous role call vote.

Immediately following the vote, Bishop Marc called Dr. Shaw from the meeting room, to share the good news with her. Dr. Shaw then led the assembled group in prayer in a conference call.

Were there no equally good candidates from the United States?
The Dean Search Committee (DSC) received applications from more than 40 candidates, many of whom were from the United States. The three finalists emerged because of their exceptional capabilities, gifts and experience. The DSC focused on those individuals who they felt would best serve Grace Cathedral.

In Dr. Shaw, we have a priest in the Church of England, who knows the U.S. well. She received her master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard Divinity School and the University of California, Berkeley respectively. She has taught at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, the Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, Calif., and has been a Visiting Professor at U.C. Berkeley, Emory University and Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Shaw has attended General Convention many times and is well known in the Episcopal Church.

What impressed the Dean Selection Committee, Bishop Marc and others who were integral to the selection of Dr. Shaw as our next dean?
Dr. Shaw is gifted, with a wide range of expertise – from her theological vision, spiritual depth and pastoral care to business management and leadership know-how, fundraising capabilities and community building prowess. Bishop Marc and others immediately recognized these highly prized talents as ones which make her uniquely qualified to lead Grace Cathedral as our next dean.

Ordained in the Church of England, Dr. Shaw has served with distinction as a priest, and as an academic theologian and historian at the University of Oxford and in many Visiting Professor positions. She is a great lover of music and looks forward to supporting liturgical and secular music at Grace Cathedral.

In addition to her numerous academic responsibilities at Oxford, Dr. Shaw has served as Theological Consultant to the Church of England House of Bishops, and is Canon Theologian at Salisbury Cathedral and an honorary canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.

Dr. Shaw is known internationally for her exceptional talents in the communication of Christianity in the public sphere. She has penned op-eds and articles for many publications worldwide, including The Guardian, and for broadcast on the BBC. She is currently writing a series of radio programs on mysticism that will be broadcast on the BBC in the winter.

How does Dr. Shaw envision herself in the role of dean of Grace Cathedral?
In Dr. Shaw’s own words, “A vision emerges from a community. My priorities on arrival are to pray with the Grace Cathedral congregation; get to know members of the congregation, the staff and trustees, and many different people in the city of San Francisco and Bay Area -- and therefore spend a lot of time listening. I look forward to leading Grace Cathedral in articulating its vision for the coming decades, and in building on its many strengths as a house of prayer for all people as well as a place of vibrant cultural and civic conversation, liturgical and musical excellence, and social responsibility. I will also be working hard to raise money for Grace Cathedral, so that we can live out our calling generously in the church and the world.

As I have said before, a cathedral’s dean is asked to stand at the nexus of many worlds, including the cathedral congregation, the chapter and staff, the board, the diocese, the city and more. I look forward to interacting with and communicating between these different worlds. My vision is of a church that engages deeply with the culture and the world in which it finds itself. I greatly look forward to working in the Episcopal Church with which I have long had a deep connection. It will be a privilege to work in this vibrant branch of the Anglican Communion.”

When will she start?
Dr. Shaw’s arrival in the United States, her start date and installation are pending. It is hoped that, immigration papers permitting, she will arrive in the fall. These important milestone dates will be included prominently on our website, in Cathedral Highlights (weekly e-newsletter) and in the Sunday service leaflet wrapper.

Describe the highlights of Dr. Shaw’s professional background.
Dr. Shaw joins Grace Cathedral from the University of Oxford in England where she has served as the Dean of Divinity and a Fellow of New College, Oxford. She has taught history and theology at the university for 16 years, and has been at New College for nine years.

Dr. Shaw has also served as Theological Consultant to the Church of England House of Bishops, and is Canon Theologian at Salisbury Cathedral and an honorary canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.

In the 1990s, she taught at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, the Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, Calif. Dr. Shaw has been a Visiting Professor at U.C. Berkeley, Emory University and Florida Atlantic University, and has also held visiting appointments in Australia at the University of Melbourne and Australian National University.

What is her educational background?
Dr. Shaw holds a B.A., History (honors) from the University of Oxford. She earned a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School in 1988 and a Ph.D. in History from the University of California at Berkeley in 1994. In 2006, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Episcopal Divinity School.

Will there be opportunities to meet her?
There will be many chances to meet Dr. Shaw. Meeting her new cathedral congregation and Bay Area community is one of her top agenda items during her first year in San Francisco. Visit our website to learn more about upcoming services and events where you can meet her. Come to Grace Cathedral for services in the fall when she arrives – she will always be around and happy to talk with you!

How can I support Dr. Shaw?
To ensure that our new dean starts off on a firm financial foundation, consider making a gift to the “New Beginnings” campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to enable Dr. Shaw to begin her ministry with innovation and energy and without having to immediately raise money for the cathedral’s wide ranging programs. With a goal of $500,000, the campaign has already raised over $200,000 from gifts and pledges from trustees, members, friends and staff.

To learn how you might participate, please contact Richard W. Felton, Interim Director of Development, at 415-749-6313 or by e-mail by clicking here.

Who currently leads Grace Cathedral?
The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, formerly the 12th Bishop of Virginia, has served as Grace Cathedral’s interim dean since October 2009.

Grace Cathedral is overseen by its Board of Trustees. The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus, Bishop of California, is its president, and Mr. Greg Scott serves as its chair. The board has general responsibility for the governance of the cathedral and maintains oversight of the financial management of the cathedral. It also establishes policies and general guidance for its operation. With the exception of the bishop and dean, all members of the Board are volunteers from the congregation and the wider community.

The Congregation Council is composed of a committed group of congregational volunteers dedicated to enhancing the life of the congregation and the outreach of the cathedral.

Chapter is the executive staff of Grace Cathedral and is responsible for ongoing mission and ministry working with members of the congregation, board and council. The chapter also serves as a council of advice for the dean.

The Office of the Congregation is responsible for the ongoing spiritual formation and pastoral care of the resident congregation and support of the cathedral's wider life and mission.

Please put Dr. Shaw’s appointment into historical perspective.
Dr. Shaw succeeds the Very Rev. Alan Jones, the cathedral’s seventh dean, who retired in February 2009 after serving the cathedral for 25 years. Her appointment comes a century after the installation of the Grace Cathedral’s first dean, the Very Rev. James Wilmer Gresham, who served the cathedral for almost three decades, from 1910 to 1939.