Cathedral Clergy

The Eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Florida
The Right Reverend Samuel Johnson Howard

The Right Reverend Samuel Johnson Howard, a native of North Carolina, was elected bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida on May 16, 2003 and was consecrated at St. John's Cathedral, Jacksonville, November 1, 2003.

He was instituted as 8th bishop of the Diocese of Florida on January 29th, 2004.

Bishop Howard served as vicar of Trinity Church Wall Street, New York, since December of 1997. Active in church and community activities, Bishop Howard served as president of John Heuss House, a homeless drop- in shelter in downtown Manhattan, and as a board member of St. Margaret's House, which furnishes housing for the elderly and mobility- impaired in New York. He also served on the board of the Downtown Alliance, a local community site, transportation ad public services.

Prior to moving to New York, Bishop Howard was rector of St. James' Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Before that he was Assistant to the Rector of Holy Comforter in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bishop Howard graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1989. He practiced law in Raleigh, North Carolina from 1976 through 1986, serving as Assistant United States Attorney and Lead Attorney for the Federal Drug Enforcement Task Force for the Eastern District of North Carolina. In that role, he established and directed the Federal Public Defender office in that state. He also served as an attorney on the staff of the United States Senate Commerce Committee.

In addition to being an alumnus of Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, he is a graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and of the Law School of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The Reverend Deborah M. Jackson Our Canon for Liturgy and Administration, the Reverend Deborah M. Jackson, is a Jacksonville native. Deborah received her Bachelor of Arts Degree, with a major in Behavioral Science from Rollins College, in Winter Park, Florida. After earning her undergraduate degree, she returned to Jacksonville and earned her Master of Business Administration Degree in Marketing & Management from Jacksonville University. Prior to seminary, Deborah enjoyed a career in the insurance industry for twenty-five years. In her previous career, she spent many years in management in the areas of contract development and product compliance. In 2007, Deborah received her Master of Divinity Degree from The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, and her ministry began at Saint John's Cathedral. Canon Deborah Jackson and her husband James have two grown sons (Jerrold and Justin), and a daughter (Ashley) at Episcopal High School. 904 632-9104 Ext 29       The Reverend J. Perry Smith   Our Interim Canon Associate joined the cathedral staff in November. The Bishop of Florida, The Rt. Rev. S. Johnson Howard, named Fr. Smith Vicar of St. Cyprian's in June 2007, after he moved to St. Augustine from Baltimore, Maryland, where he had served as a deacon and priest since 1993. Fr. Smith has been a major force in rebuilding St. Cyprian's into a vital mission, increasing average Sunday attendance, plate offerings and growing for outreach.   Ordained a vocational deacon in 1988 in the Diocese of the Rio Grande, Fr. Smith was then a FBI Agent working in El Paso, Texas. He was heavily engaged in church building, particularly among Hispanics. Transferred to Minneapolis, he became the diocesan cathedral deacon, where he served liturgically and as the principal homebound visitor, and the coordinator for the soup kitchen volunteers.   In 1993, again transferred, Fr. Smith was named cathedral deacon in the Diocese of Maryland and served there liturgically to both the English and Spanish speaking congregations, and he was pastor to the sick and homebound until he retired from the FBI in 2001. Raised-up by the community and supported by the Bishop of Maryland, Fr. Smith attended The Protestant Theological Seminary in Virginia, graduating in 2003 with a Masters in Theological Studies.   Ordained priest on May 25, 2002 by the Rt. Rev. Robert Ihloff, Fr. Smith served as Assistant Rector at Emmanuel Church in Baltimore for two years. His duties included preaching, pastoral care and visitation to 22 homebound parishioners; and celebrant/administrator for the Wednesday mid-day Eucharist and concert series. He conducted Lay Eucharistic Minister, lay reader and acolyte training. He was also a member of the diocesan Commission on Ministry. His last cure in the Diocese of Maryland was Chaplain to the Episcopal Congregation at Ft. Meade, Maryland.   Fr. Smith has written about his priestly vocation: "I believe I am called to be a good and faithful priest in a church that requires a priest who is principally a preacher and pastor. This sense of call is perhaps best characterized as a lifelong yearning. Alan Jones, in his book, Sacrifice and Delight, identifies me when he says, 'The Church needs lovers. The Church needs those who know the secret of self-offering, the secret of sacrifice and delight.' This is the language that communicates the passion and desire I have for being at the altar - in praise, thanksgiving, celebration and sacrifice - and never wanting it to end. It is the lover in me that is excited, energized and full of expectation (also fear and trembling) when I preach, always wanting to touch the hearers in a way that brings Jesus Christ into their lives in a real and meaningful way."   Fr. Smith's special interests and skills include writing for publication and tennis. He lived in Spain and Latin America for many years and is a fluent Spanish speaker.   904 632-9104 Ext. 20