Following Crosstalk’s November article “Welcoming the new Dean,” a reader wrote to ask for more information about what the role of the Dean of the Diocese of Ottawa is. Here is Dean Bretzlaff’s answer.
One of the things I love about being a priest is the variety of every day, but this position has even more variety, being the dean of the diocese and the rector of the cathedral. It’s great fun getting to explore both those parts of my new call. About 25% percent of my ministry is spent in wider diocesan work: being the senior priest of the diocese, working closely with and advising the bishop, functioning as a member of senior staff, acting as vice-chair of Diocesan Council and Synod, and being the chair of the Regional Deans. The cathedral plays a particular role in gathering us together and providing resources to our diocesan church, hosting the wider community, and networking with other cathedral deans nationally and internationally, so being the dean also means being a more public figure.
St. John, Antrim — Deanery of the Southwest