From the Rev. Canon Curtis Benham:

I’m humbled and honored to accept the call to serve as the 15th dean of The Cathedral Church of St. Luke! Your faithfulness to the gospel and love for the LORD, for each other, and for your neighbors is well known, dear saints of St. Luke’s, and I count it a privilege to be called to serve you as your new dean.

My priesthood has been and I pray will continue to be defined by a deep commitment to the proclamation of the good news of Jesus through Word and Sacrament and in the beauty and holiness of our Prayer Book tradition, caring for the souls of the people I’m called to serve, teaching the Bible, and helping churches intentionally move forward into continued health, growth, and mission. It will be my joy to serve such a wonderful Cathedral Church!

Sitting in the heart of the thriving city of Orlando, with a godly, faithful bishop, a growing diocese, wonderful, talented, and committed staff, faithful, dedicated parishioners, and the legacy of a faithful and beloved former dean, I believe St. Luke’s is well-prepared for its next chapter, and I cannot wait to see what the LORD will do in our midst! I’m honored to serve you and lead you as we move forward together.

Meet Fr. Curt

Canon Benham comes to the Cathedral from Trinity Parish in St. Augustine, in the Diocese of Florida, where he has served since September 2020 as associate rector and as pastor of Trinity’s North Campus, a new congregation and preschool he was called to plant and has led from its first service. Located in the Silverleaf community of St. Johns County, the campus has grown in two years to an average Sunday attendance of 230. He currently serves as a Regional Canon in the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, a role to which he was named in 2024.

Ordained a priest in 2011, Canon Benham previously spent two decades in Atlanta. He first served on the staff of a large regional church, ministering to teenagers and their parents, and then answered the call to plant a new church in the Vinings neighborhood, where he served as founding rector for ten years.

Canon Benham describes himself as a Scripture and Prayer Book loyalist. He believes worship that is faithful to Scripture and ordered by the Book of Common Prayer can be offered in a range of styles, while his own heart is with a high church expression of the Prayer Book liturgy. At the center of his ministry, in his words, is “the good news of Jesus Christ, his life, shed blood, death, resurrection, and ascension, all for us sinners’ salvation.”

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Canon Benham graduated from Episcopal School of Jacksonville and earned a bachelor’s degree in English education from Florida State University. After college, he helped start a college ministry in Timisoara, Romania, with Cru, then returned to the States to earn his Master of Divinity at Southeastern Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He and his wife, Michelle, also a Jacksonville native, have three children: Samuel, Virginia “Ginny,” and Margot. He enjoys fly fishing, climbing mountains, walks with his kids, and bird watching with Michelle. The Benhams are looking forward to making Orlando and St. Luke’s their new home.

Bishop Justin offered this commendation:

“Canon Benham is a preacher of the gospel. He announces what God has done for sinners and sufferers in Jesus Christ, and he announces it with warmth and without apology. He knows how to hold what is strong in a congregation and lead it forward at a pace it can sustain, deliberately and without leaving anyone behind. St. Luke’s has long been a place where Christ crucified and risen is preached faithfully, and where the liturgy and music are offered with reverence and beauty. I am grateful that this will continue under his leadership. I am glad for the people of St. Luke’s, and I look forward to what God will do through the Cathedral in downtown Orlando and across this diocese.”

Canon Dan Smith added:

“I look forward to welcoming him and his family to the Diocese as well as the Cathedral. The Cathedral Search Committee did the hard work of developing a clear understanding of the Cathedral, its history and its present story, and their work allowed the Chapter to choose someone that I believe will be a terrific Dean for our Cathedral.”

Welcome Fr. Curt This Fall

To honor his commitments to Trinity Parish, Canon Benham will officially begin his ministry with us on December 1. Before then, our Cathedral and Diocesan communities will have opportunities to begin welcoming him and his family:

Saturday, October 10
Canon Benham will join us at the Cathedral for the Deacon ordination service at 11 a.m.

Saturday, November 7
Canon Benham will join attend the Diocesan Convention at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Melbourne, Florida

There will be additional opportunities to meet Canon Benham during his soon to be scheduled visitations to the Cathedral during the months ahead. Stay tuned for more details.

The outstanding clergy, staff, and lay leaders who have guided the Cathedral faithfully through this season of transition will continue their work until Canon Benham arrives.

With Gratitude

This announcement follows many months of prayerful discernment and careful work. Throughout the process, the Dean Search Committee worked closely with the Cathedral Chapter, Bishop Justin Holcomb, Canon Dan Smith, and the diocesan team. This partnership allowed for a thoughtful and thorough search that remained attentive to the Cathedral’s history, its present life, and its hopes for the future.

We offer our deepest gratitude to the members of the Dean Search Committee for the countless hours they devoted to listening to the congregation, developing a clear understanding of the Cathedral, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and discerning whom God might be calling to serve among us.

Dean Search Committee

• Holly Strawn, Co-Chair

• Chip Vanture, Co-Chair

• Nadine Craig, Diocesan Representative

• Jason Ullrich, Diocesan Representative

• Hazel Ademu-John

• Bill Anderson

• Bryson Cuthbertson

• Jay Garner

• Melissa Hunt

• Joan Kennedy

• John Lyle

• Dennis Ramsey

• Barbara Rushing
  

We also give thanks for the members of the Cathedral Chapter, who faithfully and prayerfully considered the Search Committee’s work, met with finalists, and voted unanimously to call Canon Benham as the Cathedral’s 15th Dean.

Cathedral Chapter

• Greg Leonard, Senior Warden

• Mike Rhodes, Junior Warden

• Clarence Ademu-John

• Bill Anderson

• Marcus Brooks

• Jennifer Clark Evins

• Marianne DiQuattro

• Scott Gabrielson

• Theo Gordon

• Melissa Hunt

• Paul Kennedy

• Marilyn Lang

• Vicki Montoya

• Monica Taffinder

• Dillon White

We are grateful for the faithfulness, wisdom, discretion, and love for the Cathedral that each person brought to this important process.

Please Join Us in Prayer

Please join us in giving thanks to God for guiding us through this process. We invite your prayers for Canon Benham, Michelle, Samuel, Ginny, and Margot; for Trinity Parish; and for the Cathedral’s clergy, staff, lay leaders, and congregation as we all prepare to begin this new chapter.

Additional updates about Canon Benham’s arrival and the beginning of his ministry will be shared here and through Cathedral communications.