Trinity Cathedral Clergy Profile

The Rt. Rev. Barry Beisner, Bishop

Bishop Beisner graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1973. He received his MDiv from CDSP in 1978, his STM from General Theological Seminary in 1994. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1978 and the priesthood in 1979. Prior to his consecration as Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Northern California on September 30, 2006, he served as Canon to the Ordinary. Bishop Beisner was married in 1998 to the Rev. L. Ann Hallisey. They have 6 grown children.

The Very Rev. Dr. Brian Baker, Dean of the Cathedral

Brian moved to Sacramento from Sun Valley, Idaho in April of 2006. In addition to leading Christian congregations, he has worked closely with people in other faith traditions, particularly Tibetan Buddhists and reformed Jews. He has also worked to insure the full inclusion of all people into the Episcopal Church. He is a graduate of West Point and is an Army veteran. Brian and his wife Andrea have two children. For more information, visit his blog .
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The Rev. Dr. Grant S. Carey, D.D., Canon Residentiary

Grant Carey came to Trinity Cathedral in 1977 and was appointed Canon Precentor in 1983. A graduate of Sacramento State University in 1951 (B.A. and M.A.) he taught at San Juan High School and Sierra College before serving in the Army as a medical service officer during the Korean War. In 1954 he entered the Church Divinity School of the Pacific where he received a Master of Divinity Degree. As a seminarian he was instrumental in organizing Saint John’s, Roseville. He was ordained deacon in 1957 by Bishop Porter, and was the first priest ordained by Bishop Haden in 1958. He served as vicar of Saint John's, Lakeport, and was Rural Dean of the Sonoma Convocation. In 1961 when he was appointed chaplain and later headmaster at Colegio San Justo in Puerto Rico. Returning to California in 1968, he earned a credential in educational counseling at CSUS. Joining the faculty at Sacramento City College he taught for 21 years in the Department of English retiring as Professor Emeritus in 1990.

Since then, Canon Carey has served full time at Trinity Cathedral. In the Diocese of Northern California, he has been a Rural Dean, a member of the Diocesan Council, Hispanic Missioner, and member of the Commission on Aging and the Episcopal Foundation. His duties at Trinity Cathedral include all aspects of Ministry. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in 2007.
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The Rev. Dr. Winifred B. Gaines, Canon for Visitation

Winnie Gaines was the Canon Pastor of Trinity Cathedral from 1989 – 2002 when she reached the age of retirement. Since that time she has served as the Canon for Visitation. Prior to joining the staff at Trinity Cathedral, Winnie served for 10 years at Mercy San Juan Hospital and Hospice as a chaplain. Winnie is a U.C. Berkeley graduate where she graduated magna cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa. She attended the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, graduating in 1978, and received an M.A. in counseling from the University of San Francisco in 1982. She was the first woman ordained a priest from the Diocese of Northern California in 1980, and the first woman ordained deacon from the Diocese of Northern California in 1979. Winnie was the first woman to serve as chaplain for the State of California’s Senate in 1990-1992. Winnie was also the Diocesan Education for Ministry Coordinator for ten years. Her ministries include presiding at liturgical services, and assisting in supervising pastoral ministries, including the Stephen Lay Caring Ministry. Winnie is married to Bob Gaines and they are the parents of five adult children.
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The Rev. Lynell Walker, Canon for Spiritual Formation

Lynell came to Trinity Cathedral in 1994 as a seminarian from C.D.S.P. Lynell was ordained a priest at Trinity Cathedral in May 1999 and currently serves as Canon for Spiritual Formation. She assists at the Cathedral by participating in the liturgical ministry of the church, teaching small groups, directing the Catechumenate program for youth and adults, mentoring EFM groups, directing Christ Care (a small group ministry), and serving on the Evangelism-Fellowship Ministry Team. She is the mother of three sons.
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The Rev. Anne Dryden McKeever

Rev. Anne has returned to Trinity to serve as the Youth Ministry priest for junior and senior high school students. Parishioners may remember Anne from her service here as a seminarian from 2007-2009. Ordained to the priesthood in December, 2009, Anne anticipates having more fun than anyone should be allowed to have in church and upstairs in Rooms D and E with spiritual formation and community building activities combined with games, music and drama. She is grateful that so many parishioners are willing to serve as volunteers in Trinity’s Youth Ministry. Married to her college sweetheart, Casey, they have two adult daughters and a toddler grandson. Anne is devoted to her elderly parents, Harold and June, who also reside in Woodland. She looks forward to participating in Trinity’s traditional family ministry events as well as creating new traditions along with Trinity’s young people.
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The Rev. Amy Lawrence, Associate

Amy's principle responsibility at Trinity is on the Chrysalid team, providing experimental, alternative worship experiences. During the week she works as a case manager at Lutheran Social Services. She earned her B. A. at the University of the Pacific, and her M. Div. at Union Theological seminary in New York City. She was ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of California in 1995, and served as associate rector at St. Peter's in Redwood City before moving to Sacramento in 1998.

The Rev. Robert L. Phillippi, Associate and Lutheran Pastor

Bob grew up in Sacramento attending local schools, high school and graduated from CSUS in 1968. He attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN and graduated in 1972. Bob was ordained in 1973 and was the Pastor of Lutheran Church of the Cross, Sacramento until 1977. He completed Clinical Pastoral Education at the University of California Hospitals and Clinics in 1978. He worked for the State Department of Transportation from 1980 Until 2000, when he retired. He was returned to active ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 2003 and is currently called as Visitation Pastor at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Sacramento.

Bob assists at Trinity Cathedral by participating in the liturgical ministry of the congregation and will assist the diocese when priests are ill or on vacation and there is a need for a temporary replacement. The ministry of a Lutheran pastor in the Episcopal Church is due to the agreement between the Episcopal Church and the ELCA under the document of "Called to Common Mission" which allows for the mutual recognition of ordained pastors in each church.

The Rev. Jesse Vaughan, Associate

Jesse Vaughan, who is the Headmaster of St. Michael's Episcopal Day School, has been on the Cathedral staff since 1993 and serves in a non-stipendiary capacity. He is a graduate of the Episcopal Theological School, Cambridge, Massachusetts with a Masters in Divinity degree (1974). His duties at the Cathedral are primarily on Sundays.