Clergy

The Right Reverend Samuel Johnson Howard, a native of North Carolina, was elected bishop coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida on May 16, 2003 and was consecrated at St. John’s Cathedral, Jacksonville, November 1, 2003. He was instituted as 8th bishop of the Diocese of Florida on January 29th, 2004. The Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop, though he travels nearly each week to other churches in the diocese. Bishop Howard served as vicar of Trinity Church Wall Street, New York, since December of 1997. Read more here.

Mother Kate's Meditations - The Very Reverend Katherine B. (Kate) Moorehead is the 10th Dean of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral. As dean, Kate serves as vice president of the Episcopal School of Jacksonville, the Cathedral School Early Learning Center, Cathedral Arts Project , Cathedral Care nursing facility and Aging True Community Senior Services, all non-profits birthed from the cathedral. Kate graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College and graduated cum laude with a Master of Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary. She is author of four books, Organic God (2006), Between Two Worlds (2004) and Get Over Yourself: God’s here (2009). Her latest book is Resurrecting Easter. Kate and her husband James (J.D.) have three sons–Luke, Jake, and Max.

Father Raja Zabaneh is Canon Pastor. Father Raja is a native of Jordan who came to Jacksonville after serving as a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Egypt. He is a graduate of the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt. He was ordained a priest in 1993 in the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East and served there until he began ministry in the Diocese of Egypt in 1998. He and his family moved to Jacksonville in 2013.

As chaplain to the Cathedral Residences, he provides pastoral care and leads Bible studies for the elderly who live in apartments near the Cathedral managed by Aging True. He also assists in services as needed at St. John’s Cathedral. He and his wife, Lily, have two sons, Fouad and Karim

The Rev. Canon Allen LaMontagne is our Sub-Dean. Allen recently retired from active ministry on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with over twenty years experience as a priest in the Episcopal Church. He settles here happily near his son Kevin, his daughter-in-law Laura, and two grandchildren, Ada and Henry.

The Rev. Ben Clance, Deacon was ordained at St. John’s Cathedral on May 23, 2010. He has served as a volunteer chaplain in maximum security prisons for more than 10 years. Ben has baptized hundreds of prisoners. He also serves prisoners about to be executed, washing their feet, and offering them the opportunity to confess their sins and experience the love of God. He celebrates cell-to-cell communion and also counseling, and provides confirmation studies to prisoners.

The Rev. John Wesley will be in the office on Mondays and assisting with Parish Life and counseling needs. In his 48 years as an Episcopal priest he has worked as a counselor in two drug and alcohol recovery programs, led worship and heard confessions at the Florida State Prison and taught as an adjunct instructor at two universities. He comes to us from St. Paul's at Federal Point on the St. Johns River. He is the author of The Holy Spirit in the Book of Common Prayer, which is available in the Cathedral Bookstore

The Rev. Jon Baugh serves St. John’s Cathedral as a priest associate, leading our Wednesday noon worship, assisting on Sundays, and helping out with parish life ministries. Jon attended Sewanee for his Master of Divinity degree. In addition to clergy duties, Jon works full time as a computer programmer. He is an avid cyclist and has three sons - Brennan, Aidan, and Joshua.