Maggie M
Google
I was a parishioner of this church for almost 10 years. Most of my time there was under the leadership of Dean Barkley Thompson. The new Dean, Nathaniel Katz, has changed things and the direction of the Cathedral is negative.
Nathaniel Katz and Bradley Varnell are pretty narcissistic and lack passion for their callings. Bradley Varnell is pretty ego-centric and wants to be the center of attention. He gravitates towards the white, wealthy parishioners. Since he became the canon responsible for the 20s and 30s group, the group decreased in numbers and started to lack the diversity it once had. Several of his friends followed him to the Cathedral and the group became a close knit circle of his friends. He is an openly gay priest, but ironically, most of the queer, non-binary folks left within the first couple of years. He defended a lawyer who was running as a Republican candidate for a local political office. I exercised my right to free speech in my own social media when I was critical of this political candidate and the candidate was made the victim. I was subsequently punished. He was caught in questionable situations on social media as well and I brought a complaint to his superiors at the Cathedral. Nathaniel Katz chose to ban me from Cathedral 20s and 30s citing my “disappointment in the Church” as the reason - but it was really in retaliation for submitting my concerns to Bradleys superiors.
The Cathedral markets itself as an inclusive, welcoming community - but it’s not true. It’s a social club for the wealthy and powerful. You only need to walk into the Cathedral and feel the lack of the holy and sacred.
