Deacon Alisdair Smith to retire in September

Dear friends in Christ,

Way back in 2019, the then Vicar, Helen Dunn asked me how long I planned to stay in my role at the Cathedral. I replied that I thought 2 years after the new Dean had been appointed. That is coming up to 5 years ago. It is now time. September 15, 2024, will be my last Sunday as an official Cathedral Deacon. On June 27, 2024, I will have been ordained for 20 years, all of it, here in this place. On September 11, 2024, I will turn 65 and in our Diocese clergy move into retired status at that age. It is time.

The Dean and the Bishop have been making suggestions about staying on in various ways, and I am very grateful to both of them for so many reasons, not the least being their trust in me over these past years. And, it is time.

The cathedral communities have been through good times and challenging times over these 20 years, and I see a future for us filled with possibilities, new joys, new griefs, and new life. And my time as a leader here is coming to an end.

What will this look like? I can only guess. My plan is that I will not attend the cathedral after the 15^th of September, 2024, until at least Epiphany 2025. I need to leave and see what God has in store for me, and to leave you to move forward into your future. When I do attend, periodically after Epiphany 2025 I will sit mostly in the pews, and if asked, perhaps be a Deacon at the Altar occasionally. (Kind of like Dixie does now).

Know that I leave my roles with my head held high. We have done so much good together. I am so grateful for the people who have been on this journey alongside me for lo these many years, and for the new faces and ideas that are already appearing. I am grateful to Chris for his hard emotional work in holding our collective grief over Peter’s retirement, and for those dark times of Covid when we could not gather together, we could not commune together and we could not sing together. Chris has held that pain in his heart in ways we may never fully know.

I am so grateful too for my clergy colleagues over these many years. Some of their names may be simply names for many of you reading this, but I invite your gratitude and prayers for each of them; Bob, Margaret, Heidi, Chris D., Patrick, Ellen, Helen, Philippa, Marnie, Ross, Liz, Clare, Melanie, Andre, Adam, Areeta, Richard, Stu, Matthew, Peter, Chris, +Michael, +Melissa, +John, and so importantly, Dixie, Kevin, and Jeffrey. It has been an honour to serve with you, more than you can know.

I would be remiss if I did not also note my cathedral staff colleagues over the years (too many to mention). Your presence has enriched us all. Thank you.

And I am so grateful for the patience, the love, the compassion, the tears and the laughter shared with so many of you, both now and over the years. It has been my privilege and joy to have been a small part of the history of this place and people.

We have time between now and September to say so long. And I most especially invite your prayers for Olivia who will have to find ways managing when I am not having to go to another meeting!

With love,

Alisdair