Rest in peace, Charles A. Perry
Former Washington National Cathedral provost, the Very Rev. Dr. Charles A. Perry died on Saturday, October 23rd. May he rest in peace and rise in glory!
PROVOST: 1978-1990 - The Very Rev. Dr. Charles A. Perry
From the Washington National Cathedral's website
Washington National Cathedral announced on October 26, 2010, the death of former Cathedral Provost Charles A. Perry, who served the Cathedral as chief pastor, administrator, and fundraiser from 1978 to 1990. Perry is credited with saving the Cathedral from $10.5 million of debt during his tenure and additionally with raising the funds to complete the Cathedral’s construction. He died of a heart attack last weekend while on a trip to Asheville, N.C.; he was 81. His funeral will take place Sunday, October 31, at 3 pm, at St. Paul’s Memorial Church in Charlottesville. The Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston, bishop of Virginia, will preside. Perry will later be interred at Washington National Cathedral, at a service to be announced. His wife Joy, his son Russell Keith Perry, daughter Dana Leslie Smith, and five grandchildren survive him.“The entire Cathedral community mourns not only the loss of such a significant figure in the history of this Cathedral, but also the loss of an extraordinarily faithful priest and leader,” Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III said. “We give thanks to God for the resolute leadership and devoted service of Charles Perry, one of the Cathedral’s giants.”
. . .
Perry was appointed Cathedral provost by the Rt. Rev. John T. Walker, bishop of Washington, and had previously served the Episcopal Diocese of Washington as executive officer for seven years. As provost, Perry was directly responsible for the Cathedral’s day-to-day operations. In addition to his administrative role, he was a leader in highlighting the Cathedral’s ministry as a national house of prayer, planning a “Service of Prayer for World Peace” in memory of assassinated Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat in 1981. Perry also organized the Cathedral’s Vietnam War Vigil and Memorial Service, held November 10-14, 1982, during which 57,939 names of dead or missing Americans were read aloud during a 56-hour vigil.
Photo Credit: Washington National Cathedral
Charles Perry was Rector of Trinity Church, Bloomington, Diocese of Indiana, when we moved there in 1969. He followed a long-serving priest who, if I remember rightly, had supported the parish from his own fortune; Perry had the job of teaching parishioners to support themselves. He was a bit of a rough fit with the parish. My most vivid memory of him was one Ash Wednesday sermon when he excoriated the congregation for showing up to get a visible mark instead of being out doing good in the community. A valid point, but the audience was there in good faith. He left, and landed in a better place. Why was he Provost during his fruitful career at the National Cathedral? We heard it was because the Bishop wanted no competition from a "Dean."
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October 27, 2010 4:31 PM