
Very Rev. Fr. John Lankeit
Read Catholic Sun Article about Fr. Lankeit
What’s a “rector?"
In the life of the Church, the priest designated by the bishop to head up a parish community is commonly referred to as the “pastor.” The proper pastor of a Cathedral parish is the bishop himself. Ordinarily, though, he appoints a priest to head up the Cathedral parish and to carry out the normal parish operations… this priest is known as the “rector'. Who have been rectors here at Ss. Simon & Jude?
Fr. Paul Smith founded Ss. Simon & Jude Parish in the early 1950s and guided the parish for decades… even when it was elevated to the rank of Cathedral in late 1969. Fr. Michael McGovern served a brief stint as the Rector. Msgr. Richard Moyer was named the Rector in the late 1980s. Msgr. Michael O’Grady served as the Rector here from 1990-2005. Fr. R. Clements was assigned as Rector in 2005, and served the Cathedral parish until June 2010, when Fr. John Lankeit was named Rector of Ss. simon & Jude Cathedral.