Welcome to The Rev. Tom Poynor!

We are delighted to welcome The Rev. Tom Poynor who will be passing some time in Paris as part of his Sabbatical. He will be joining us in for a couple of weeks over Christmas and Epiphany and will be supporting us with our liturgy and worship.

The Rev. Tom Poynor serves as the Episcopal Chaplain to UC Berkeley. In this role he regularly meets with students one-on-one or in groups as well as coordinating interfaith activities, worship experiences, and speaker series.

Currently he is in Paris as part of sabbatical time to finish his dissertation on the theology of the Imagination and the Imago Dei, which he is working on through the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. Previous study includes a theology master’s from St Andrews with a focus on aesthetics, a master’s from Oxford examining the Holy Grail in the work of Dante Rossetti, and undergraduate studies in music (organ) and literature at Sewanee: where he also lived with the compiler and translator of Le Livre de la Prière Commune.

Previous work includes youth ministry and developing and running the Episcopal Service Corps program for the Diocese of California. For many years, he has served as a representative for the Episcopal Church to the UN Climate conference, including Paris in 2015.

In addition to the outdoors and the arts, Tom has a special interest in pilgrimage and has led groups to Taizé, France (where he also lived for some time in the community), Canterbury, the Caminno di Francesco in Italy, and the Jonathan Daniels pilgrimage in Lowndesboro, Alabama commemorating several martyrs of the civil rights movement.

Were he to master the subjunctive then his time in Paris would be a triumph, but regardless of that aspiration, Tom is thrilled to join the cathedral community for a time and share in your lively witness.