I arrived in Washington DC last night after a long cross-continent flight. After checking in to the conference accommodations I was able to have a late supper with my nephew who is in his final year at George Washington University. Upon returning to the hotel, I was pleased to be able to catch up with an old colleague who is now the Dean at St. Paul's Cathedral in Minneapolis and to meet the new interim Dean at St. John's Cathedral in Los Angeles. We were able to have some fruitful conversations about our Cathedrals, Dioceses and the church in general.
Then to my delight, I ran into Dean Peter and Thomas who were also present for the conference. Dean Peter said that he and his cohort of retired "has-Deans" had decided to come to the conference for a mini-reunion. It was good to catch up with them.
Today, I am registering at the Washington National Cathedral for the conference and will attend, among other things, the Choral Evensong where Bishop Gene Robinson will be preaching. Bishop Robinson is one of the keynotes at the conference and I am looking forward to hearing what he has to say. The other speakers are also presenting on relevant topics such as faith and civic engagement and I look forward to learning much.
Featured Speakers:
The Rev. Dr. Barry Black, Chaplain, United States Senate
Dr. Shaun Casey, Author and Professor of Religion and Global Affairs
The Rev. Dr. Margaret Kibben, Chaplain, United States House of Representatives
Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
Jon Meacham, Canon Historian, Washington National Cathedral
Bishop V. Gene Robinson | CONFERENCE CHAPLAIN, IX Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire (retired)