Leadership and Legacy: Dean Reggie Kidd to Retire From Cathedral May 31

His previous retirement – from 25 years of teaching at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando – lasted just 10 weeks, ending in Sept. 2015. That’s when the Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, fourth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, asked the Rev. Dr. Reggie Kidd to step in as acting dean amid what Kidd described as a “pastoral crisis” of the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando. In January 2017, the acting position shifted to a permanent one with Kidd’s installation as dean.

The dean, who retires from the Cathedral on May 31, looks forward to a longer retirement this time around. “My wife and I are planning for me to take a Sabbath year, and we both made up lists of things to get done during that time,” he said. “After that, I plan to see what ministry projects the Lord may have for me.”

Classroom to Cathedral

Kidd brought an appropriate and eclectic background to his service as dean of Orlando’s historic Cathedral, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2024, and the 100th anniversary of the construction of the Cathedral building in 2025. With an early history in the Presbyterian Church, he came to faith during college and had a circuitous but fruitful career as a student, obtaining a B.A. in sociology from the College of William and Mary, a M.A.R. and M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in Christian origins from Duke University prior to teaching at both RTS and the Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

Years of ministry experience in Presbyterian and nondenominational Bible churches – along with his seminary teaching – preceded a shift to a more liturgical form of worship in 2008, when he and his wife, Sharon, began attending the Cathedral. “I felt more and more involved with this great combination of solid message; deep, rich worship; architecture and art; and a whole aesthetic that supports the depth of biblical teaching and theology,” he said. “Over time, I wound up bringing my ordination over from the Presbyterian Church to The Episcopal Church. Here we are, more than 10 years later, and it’s time to pass the baton to the next dean.”

“I love teaching, and I spent a wonderful 25 years doing that, but I’ve enjoyed my time at the Cathedral even more,” he added. “I feel like I’ve had the opportunity to live what a seminary professor’s dream ought to be: to do what you teach. There’s nothing like being in the church – as opposed to the classroom – to shape and refine your view of what ministry is all about. These have been really, really rich years, and I’m very grateful.”

Adversity to Advancement

“Dean Kidd was already a parishioner at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke when he was approached and asked to serve as dean,” said Bishop Brewer, now serving as interim rector at Church of the Incarnation, Dallas. “I knew the offer was quite a surprise, but I never questioned whether it was the right call. Dean Kidd approached his responsibilities with humility, a capacity to laugh at humanity’s foibles and a pastor’s wisdom. He already knew that the Cathedral has been through a difficult time, and his responsibility was to preach Christ and to serve the people in such a way that healing and reconciliation would happen.

“To his credit and to God’s glory, such healing has happened and continues to happen,” he continued. “I continue to be grateful for his leadership and pray for all the best both to Dean Kidd and to Shari in their retirement. May they go from strength to strength!”

Greg Leonard, senior warden for the Cathedral, also spoke of Kidd’s call to serve at the Cathedral at a pivotal time in its history. “Dean Kidd came to us during a time of great unrest and uncertainty within our Cathedral Church family and provided us with the love, grace and leadership we needed and desired,” he said. “The right man, at the right place, at the right time.

“His arrival and ultimate selection as the 14th dean of the Cathedral was providential, which can’t be underscored enough,” he continued. “Dean Kidd has immeasurably strengthened our Cathedral foundations as a Christ loving, gospel-centered and welcoming home to his congregation and the world around us.”

His original goals as Cathedral dean were to “encourage healing, reestablish equilibrium and help the church move forward,” Kidd said. Canon Michael Petrosh, Cathedral musician, took note of the fact that the dean faced more than one significant challenge during his tenure.

“Dean Kidd has had to navigate three major, life-altering crises during his time as dean: first, to keep the Cathedral afloat during a time when the church certainly could have collapsed; second, to navigate [then-Cathedral musician] Canon Ben Lane’s sudden death and the ensuing search process; and possibly the most daunting, to discern the Cathedral’s way through the entire COVID timeline,” Petrosh said. “I do not think many clergy have to deal with two of these in 10 years, much less all three. Arguably, the Cathedral could have crumbled during any one of them, but Dean Kidd managed to keep the church stable. I think such navigation is worthy of acknowledgment.”

The Rev. Canon Gordon Sims, deacon for pastoral care, pointed out how Kidd’s ministry has helped the community move forward in multiple ways. “Dean Reggie Kidd’s leadership has significantly impacted our Cathedral community,” he said. “Drawing on his experience across various church settings, Reggie has fostered a welcoming, warm environment in the Cathedral’s formal, historic liturgical space, helping many find a place they can truly call home. Through his sermons and daily devotions, he has offered messages of hope and redemption, consistently reminding his congregation that they are cherished by God and part of a supportive spiritual family. My life – both as a person and as a deacon – has undergone a positive change because of Reggie.”

Love and Legacy

At the Cathedral, “I’ve had this profound sense of entering into a stream and a story that was already continuing, and I felt like my job has been to get us to the next chapter,” Kidd said. “What I loved – and what made me come back week after week when I first started attending – was how warm the people were, how welcoming they were and how much they felt connected to one another in God. As dean, I wanted to help continue the legacy of worship that was already here, continue the teaching and preaching that was already here and also to continue the legacy of people caring for one another.”

According to Cathedral administrator Anne Michels, Kidd has not only continued but extended that legacy. “What has impressed me the most about Dean Kidd is his deep and genuine love for people,” she said. “Time and again I saw how parishioners responded with incredible financial generosity to the Cathedral because they knew first and foremost that the dean and his clergy staff really cared about them. The projects and campaigns Dean Kidd initiated during his tenure – Light Legacy Love Capital Campaign, a new columbarium, repairing the organ and more – were always rooted in wanting above all to glorify God and do the best for the people of St. Luke’s. This was his heart, and it made administering the church budget and finances easy!”

Kidd’s legacy also rests in the many other staff members – clergy and lay – he has led through the years. “What comes to mind more than anything is that it has truly been an honor and privilege to work with Dean Kidd,” said Fay Chandler, secretary to the dean and canons.

“I am grateful for Dean Kidd’s support of the acolyte ministry,” said Canon Richard Clark, diocesan canon acolyte warden, who has served at the Cathedral since 1993. “I wish him and Shari a blessed retirement.”

“Raising up leaders for the Church is a core part of Reggie’s mission, and he has fostered that same mission in the life of the Cathedral,” said the Rev. Garrett Puccetti, resident priest. “It’s been an amazing opportunity to begin ordained ministry under the mentorship of such a professor and priest. I am thankful that he has instilled in me not only his high standard of preaching and teaching, but also the importance of truly loving and shepherding God’s people, which he demonstrates every single day at the Cathedral. Along with the many other priests and pastors Reggie has mentored over the years, I hope to carry this legacy forward in my own ministry.”

The Rev. Canon Patricia Orlando, canon priest for spiritual formation and pastoral care, also pointed to Kidd’s mentorship. “The Cathedral experience has given me the opportunity to truly uncover the depth of my calling to the priesthood,” she said. “I will never forget these formative years and have appreciated the opportunity to be immersed in such a great community of faith and to learn from Dean Kidd.”

“Dean Kidd will leave a wonderful legacy at the Cathedral as a humble servant of the Lord, an amazing teacher, and a faithful minister of God’s Word,” Leonard said. “He will be profoundly missed and leaves the Cathedral in great stead for Dean 15.”

Future and Hope

The Cathedral will honor Kidd’s retirement with a special celebration, “With Gratitude: Celebrating the Ministry of Dean Reggie Kidd,” which includes a combined Eucharist on Sunday, May 31, at 9 a.m., followed by an invitation-only luncheon at the Rosalind Club.

In keeping with his broad interests, Kidd plans to continue the celebration by pursuing a variety of activities in his retirement. These range from reading and writing projects to knitting to improving his piano skills to his latest hobby of kayaking and, perhaps most important, spending time with his wife and their soon to be seven grandchildren, all ages 5 and under.

Reflecting on his years as Cathedral dean, Kidd said, “I’m grateful to the Lord. I hold onto the passage in Jeremiah 29, ‘I know the plans that I have for you, and they’re about a future and a hope,’ and then Proverbs 16, ‘The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.’ I felt a real convergence of both of those here in this community of faith. This has been a grace-filled place, and I’m astounded at the Lord’s timing in the Cathedral and me being at a place where we were right for each other for this season.”