Very Reverend Fr. John Lankeit

In the life of the Church, the priest designated by the bishop to head up a parish community is commonly referred to as the “pastor.” The proper pastor of a Cathedral parish is the bishop himself. Ordinarily, though, he appoints a priest to head up the Cathedral parish and to carry out the normal parish operations… this priest is known as the “rector’.

Who have been rectors here at Ss. Simon & Jude?

Fr. Paul Smith founded Ss. Simon & Jude Parish in the early 1950s and guided the parish for decades… even when it was elevated to the rank of Cathedral in late 1969. Fr. Michael McGovern served a brief stint as the Rector. Msgr. Richard Moyer was named the Rector in the late 1980s. Msgr. Michael O’Grady served as the Rector here from 1990-2005. Fr. Rob Clements was assigned as Rector in 2005, and served the Cathedral parish until June 2010, when Fr. John Lankeit was named to his current position as Rector of Ss. Simon & Jude Cathedral.