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Email to FriendAn American in England: Jim Rosenthal ordained deacon
'Ardent Anglican,' 'a faithful catholic' and a 'prayerful ... but not too pious ... bureaucrat'
"He is an incarnation of the bonds of affection of the Anglican Communion," says Bishop Peter Lee of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.
"He interprets the church to the world and the world to the church," says former Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold.
"He's an amazing mediator for the church ... has a voice that can bring people together," says the Rev. John David Van Dooren of the Church of the Atonement in Chicago.
Those three men and several dozen other friends traveled to London four weeks ago to be present for Rosenthal's ordination to the diaconate on June 30. Friends came from the United States, Canada, Rwanda, Nigeria, Jerusalem, Russia, England, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France and Cyprus.
This was no ordinary ordination. It took place at St. Paul's Cathedral with 3,000 people present, the Men and Boys Choir singing, "with all the lights on and that wonderful organ they have there," said Retired Bishop Bob Jones of Wyoming and former dean of St. George's College, Jerusalem, who described the event as "a knockout." There were a number of ordinands, but probably none with so many foreign guests in attendance.
"Jim Rosenthal is probably one of the most notable people in the Anglican Communion," said Jones. "We've been friends for a long time and I wanted to support him in this new endeavor."
So did Van Dooren, rector of Rosenthal's home parish. "He's a friend of mine and a dear friend of the Church of the Atonement. He's bilingual in his spirituality ... able to speak to liberals and conservatives ... We need that gift today and he has that gift like no other person."
Griswold and his wife, Phoebe, think of Rosenthal "as one of the family" and have ever since he served as communications director under Griswold when he was the bishop of Chicago. Phoebe was one of his presenters at St. Paul's. "Having traveled with him from his Chicago days to his Anglican Communion days and having had frequent conversations with him about the shape of his ministry, I very much wanted to be there," said the former Presiding Bishop. "My own view of his ministry is that it has been profoundly diaconal ... it seems very much a logical next step, a logical recognition of a ministry already being exercised."
Griswold, Van Dooren, and Jones were present the day following Rosenthal's ordination for his first Eucharist as deacon which took place at his home parish in London, St. Matthew's Church, Westminster. Griswold was principal celebrant and preacher. Joining him were four bishops -- Jones, Lee, Bishop Jon Bruno of Los Angeles and Bishop Ralph Spence of Niagara (Canada) -- and five priests: Van Dooren; the Rev. Yazeed Said, originally of Nazareth; the Rev. Canon Gregory Smith of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the Rev. Jackie Cameron of Church of the Atonement in Chicago; and the Rev. Canon Gregory Cameron, deputy secretary general of the Anglican Communion. Also present were the Rev. Canon Carlson Gerdau of New York and Canon Dr. Miriam Hoover from Chicago, his other presenter.
Distinctive deacon
In his years as communications director, Rosenthal has traveled with two archbishops, George Carey and Rowan Williams, to 61 countries, several of them repeatedly.
"My most sacred and poignant visits in the communion," he says, "have been my four times in Sudan." Rosenthal calls the witness of the Sudanese "a true testimony to faith and why we need the Anglican Communion."
Rosenthal's travels, frequently reported in Anglican World, are documented also by his photography, a skill and passion that he believes has influenced his ministry and "offered influence" over the years.
His recent ordination will deprive Rosenthal of one of his roles, that of canon of the church in Gibraltar. He was an honorary canon there, as he is still in Madrid, Lisbon and Mpwapwa (a rural diocese in Tanzania). He had to resign the post in Gibraltar because it was a lay canonry.
A licensed lay reader, Rosenthal preaches often and leads workshops and pilgrimages. He also writes sermons "for others in high places," he confides. His passionate interest, for years, has been St. Nicholas. He is the founder of the St. Nicholas Society which, he says, "warms my heart and fills the extra moments of my life with joy."
Rosenthal's commitment to St. Nicholas sometimes awes his friends, especially those who have witnessed his extensive collection of St. Nicholas memorabilia -- statues, sculptures, candles, clocks, cards, key chains, hangings. He has written a book, St. Nicholas: A Closer Look at Christmas," a hymn, "Hymn for St. Nicholas Day," a reworked version of The Night Before Christmas titled Another Visit from St. Nicholas. And, during Advent every year, Rosenthal becomes St. Nicholas for a day when he portrays the saint at Canterbury Cathedral. The event started in 2001 and has now become the city's official Christmas event. Rosenthal, in a bishop's outfit created by Covent Garden Opera, London, greets children and visitors. And he charms them all.
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