The Rev. Dr. Robert Strenth, one of the newest priests in the Diocese of Central Florida, has been called to serve as rector of St. Matthew’s, Orlando. His ordination took place Nov. 19 at Holy Cross, Sanford. Strenth had been serving Holy Cross as a deacon there since 2017 but sensed a call to the priesthood.

“I was quite happy there and loved to be there,” he said. “But I sensed a call to the priesthood after a few years. And I ignored it for at least another year, because I also serve as a principal of an elementary school. But the call just became stronger and stronger, and after having conversations with the rector at Holy Cross, Father Dan Smith, and with Archdeacon Kristi Alday, my family made the decision to start pursuing to discern a call to the priesthood in 2020.”

It wasn’t an easy decision, Strenth said, noting that the call to the ministry “upended” his laid-out plans: to continue at Holy Cross and work toward retirement after 26 years with the Orange County Public School system. He pointed to the part in the ordination service where the candidate is directed to lay prostrate on the floor, indicating a complete surrender to God.

“It took me a while to be able to say ‘OK, I completely surrender, and if this is where you want me to go, God, you will make it happen,'” he said. “And that happened, as far as being able to pursue and pay for seminary, and to find a position to do ministry after being ordained.”

“This is home,” Strenth said of Central Florida, noting that he has lived in the state longer than anywhere else. “As a kid, we moved very frequently. So this is the first place that I’ve ever lived in for more than a few years. … I’m just very grateful to be able to be here, to be ordained here, and to be able to continue to do ministry here.”

He also pointed to the great diversity in Orlando. “In a lot of ways, it is a melting pot of different cultures,” he said. “It’s just a really great place to be.”

Strenth is married to Leslie, a school guidance counselor, whom he describes as “a cradle Episcopalian who brought me into the church.” The couple has two children, Caroline, a daughter who lives in Central Florida; and a son, Preston, who with his wife, Kriselle, hopes to relocate to the area after completing a military deployment in the Middle East.

As he embarks on this new chapter of his life, Strenth is optimistic and looks forward to working within the community of The Episcopal Church in Central Florida.

“All the people in the diocese whom I’ve met and had a chance to interact and work with are wonderful,” he said. “I’ve had great experiences at the diocesan office and other parishes. It’s very supportive, and they’re just great people who are serving the Lord.”