Announcing The Canon for Leadership Development

Dear Beloved of El Camino Real,

It gives me great pleasure to appoint The Rev. Canon* Katherine Doar as Canon for Leadership Development in the Diocese of El Camino Real. Canon Katherine has many years of experience in education and formation for children, youth, young adults and mature adults, adapting curriculum and models to meet the needs of the variety of people she works with. In 2020, Canon Katherine began to develop the framework needed to bring Lay Preaching training and Diaconal formation to our diocese, in partnership with the Dioceses of Northern California and San Diego, to form the West Coast Collaborative, which opened in 2022. Canon Katherine is skilled at forming and leading teams; she is a creative curriculum designer and an excellent mentor and teacher for adults. She is well-respected by those who work with her throughout our diocese and has served as President of the Standing Committee, a Deputy to General Convention, and currently serves on the Constitution and Canons Committee for El Camino Real. She has been active in the diocese for many years and was ordained to the priesthood here in 2003. She knows our diocese well.

Canon Katherine will work a hybrid model, moving between Sargent House and congregations throughout our diocese to coordinate training, facilitation, retreats, congregational development, the West Coast Collaborative, and numerous other aspects of leadership development as we equip our people for the church we are becoming.

Bishop Lucinda Ashby
Fourth Bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real

* What is a Canon?

Cathedral and Diocesan staffs have persons designated as “canons.” The persons take on a larger portion of responsibility in a particular area and join with others in managing the wider church body. Diocesan staff prefer to use the term “canon” for a senior administrative or program position. Canon Katherine’s title describes her work as an extension of the office of the Bishop out into the larger diocese. Rather than use the title “Canon to the Ordinary,” which is varied and the role not clearly defined, the title Canon for Leadership Development reflects the more current trend toward naming positions for the area of ministry that is their purview.

A Message from Our New Canon

I am honored to be asked to serve as your Canon for Leadership Development. Working with the lay leaders and clergy of this diocese to build our school for local formation, the West Coast Collaborative (WCC) has been an exciting journey of learning and collaboration. Over this time, I have met faithful congregations of all sizes, cultures, and contexts here in the Diocese of El Camino Real that are hard at work discovering new ways to thrive and respond to our baptismal calling. I eagerly look forward to working with you to imagine and create the formation tools and teams we need to discern and equip leaders for this ongoing adventure.

Canon Katherine B. Doar