Loading...After eight years in the Diocese of East Tennessee and with “many joys and memories,” the Rev. Canon Stephen Askew has accepted a call to serve at St. Matthews Cathedral, Laramie, in the Diocese of Wyoming – at 7,000 feet elevation, the highest cathedral in the country.
“The call to be Canon to the Ordinary from Bishop vonRosenberg came out of the blue,” Askew said, reflecting on his tenure as canon in the Diocese of East Tennessee. “When the bishop called, I had no clue what he wanted; it was a total surprise,” Askew said, “but it was something I took as a challenge and found both challenging and very enjoyable.”
“At the beginning, I took on two part-time ministries: canon and clergy transitions plus program development, merging those two positions,” he said. “I’ve tried to keep in mind what I’ve been here to do. The first thing was to be of service and also to be a pastor to other colleagues. I got to know the diocese in a way I would not have been able to do otherwise, and to know the church at large in a different way. One of my joys has been getting to know more people and form friendships around the diocese and the church. I will miss those relationships.”
Askew has spent the majority of his ordained ministry in the South, serving six years in Alabama and 25 years in Tennessee. He said the furthest west he has lived to date was in Wisconsin, so the journey to Laramie will be an adventure.
“The main reason I entered into the search process is that I miss parish ministry and the close involvement with ministry being in a parish brings,” Askew said. He said that being on the other side of a search process has opened his eyes to the different ups and downs and the uniqueness of each search.
“The dean of the cathedral in Laramie looked like an interesting and different kind of position. When Patricia and I visited, we immediately loved the people and the place. I saw that what I’d learned as canon could relate to the position as dean.”
“I see the role of the cathedral as serving as a leader to other parishes in the diocese – a church for all the people of the diocese. To the extent that I can, I’d like to emphasize that the cathedral is the people’s cathedral.”
Laramie is a high plains city, between two mountain ridges. It’s about 45 miles to Cheyenne and about two hours to Denver. The city’s population is about 30,000 but that number changes when the University of Colorado is in session. Laramie is home to the university and the cathedral is just a few blocks from the campus.
“One of the things I’m looking forward to is getting to know the community and having a connection in campus work,” Askew said.
He is also energized about growing vital ministries at the cathedral – among them a daily community kitchen in the undercroft of the church and the Clothes Cottage, located in a separate building, which provides clothes for those who need them. Both are ecumenical ministries.
The cathedral has two services and a membership of about 300. Askew said that the size appealed to him.
An archdeacon also serves at the cathedral, and the retired dean lives in the community. Askew said he hopes to get to know her.
Askew and his wife, Patricia, will be living in the deanery which is about four blocks from the cathedral.
“We’re both excited about a new experience and learning about a different part of the country,” Askew said.
