Nurse, Drive, Swim: Dean Kate’s Sabbatical

Dear People of God,

I return to you with a full heart from my sabbatical. My time away exceeded all my expectations. God worked in my life in ways that I could never have foreseen. As a way of thanking you for the great gift of this time, I want to share experiences from my sabbatical with you over the next few weeks.

I wonder if some of you have read the book Eat, Pray, Love? It is the story of a woman who leaves her husband and her life behind to eat in Italy, pray in India and fall in love in Indonesia. I actually found the book to be very self-centered and somewhat exhausting, but I love the title. During my sabbatical, it occurred to me that my time away was also taking the shape of three parts of approximately one month each. So I could give my sabbatical experience the title of Nurse, Drive, Swim.

During the entire time, the one constant that remained was writing. Whenever I got a quiet moment, I wanted to write. I have completed the manuscript for my book about Mary Magdalene, and I am now in the process of editing the book and searching for a publisher. It is my hope that this book will reach many people who are hungry for a new understanding of Mary Magdalene, particularly those who struggle with mental health issues. It is a substantive book that I would have never been able to complete without the gift of this sabbatical time.

I return to you rested, grateful and excited for the fall. I am so thankful to Fr. David, the staff and the Vestry who have done a marvelous job steering this great cathedral in my absence. We begin a new chapter together now and God has much in store for us here in the heart of the city.

In Christ’s love,

Kate+