An article for The Cathedral Times
by the Very Rev. Sam Candler, Dean of the Cathedral
It gives me beautiful pleasure to announce the fruit of some faithful and devoted service of the past several years. Remember this number: 3.1 million dollars!
First, a brief review: this parish learned of our Cathedral Towers initiative three years ago, how we planned to lease our longstanding Cathedral Towers facility to an organization who could manage the operation much better than we could. That arrangement included a generous payment to the Cathedral, which we immediately committed to continuing the ministry of Cathedral Towers, to low-income elderly housing and service. It was a win-win-win situation for everyone. The facility continues to exist as Parish Grove; our ministry to the community continues as the Cathedral Towers Fund!
Here’s the news: this year, with the steady service and recommendation of The Cathedral Towers Fund Committee, the Cathedral Chapter was able last month to allocate $2.4 million in grants for low-income seniors in the metro Atlanta area!
The grants from the Cathedral Towers Fund are going to several excellent services and ministries. They allow National Church Residences to expand resident service coordination at six local facilities. They allow the Atlanta Regional Commission to hire counselors and provide home repair for seniors. Emmaus House and Buckhead Cares can dedicate new case managers to seniors, Urban Recipe can grow its food security mission, and the Gateway Center can add intake coordinators for seniors experiencing homelessness. Through this new Cathedral Towers Fund, the Cathedral parish is funding critical staff and services at organizations that are meeting the needs of low-income seniors every day. 2.4 million dollars. Wow!
There’s more! The Helen Plummer Outreach Fund, established in 2021 and expanded last year, prioritizes social services and the needs of underserved individuals and families, primarily in the Greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Grants totaling $200,000 to 15 organizations this year support work caring for these underserved populations, including through LaAmistad Afterschool for Latino youth, Parole Advocates Inc. for incarcerated individuals, Respite Care Atlanta for caretakers of people living with dementia, El Refugio for families of immigrants at Stewart Detention Center, and Mercy Care, which provides compassionate medical and dental care for all. Through the Plummer Fund, the Cathedral also supports local Episcopal institutions like Emmaus House, Church of the Common Ground, Church of the Holy Comforter, and Camp Mikell.
Since 1999, the James Wynn Ricks, Jr. and Kenneth Wayne Wheeler Fund has supported programs and activities that minister to persons living with HIV/AIDS. We continue this work annually, and in 2026 grants totaled over $32,000. Grants from the Ricks-Wheeler Fund supported a mentoring program at HERO for Children, permanent supportive housing through Status: Home, nutrition programs at Open Hand Atlanta, emergency support at AID Atlanta, HIV prevention education and testing at Lost-n-Found Youth, and mental health support through the Georgia Harm Reduction Coalition.
In addition, in 2026, there was the excellent Cathedral Giving By Design generosity! That annual event of the Episcopal Church Women of the Cathedral, continuing the legacy of the Cathedral Antiques Show, netted $315,000 for Global Village Project, a middle school devoted exclusively to refugee girls. Further, the Cathedral Parish of St. Philip provides financial, vocational, communal, and spiritual support for individuals seeking higher education through its Cathedral Scholars program. In 2026, scholarships totaled $141,000 for 29 students, often closing the gap between these students being able to attend college or not. And, the first-Sunday loose offering supporting the Discretionary Fund for the Needy gives emergency help to members of our community facing homelessness, hunger, medical crises or sudden hardship.
What this means, in total, is that the overall outreach giving from the Cathedral Parish of St. Philip is now $3.14 million for 2026! Because this total giving draws from several now-established endowment funds, the Cathedral’s grantmaking can continue like this perpetually; and the parish will always have ongoing annual initiatives.
Thank you! I thank you, a generous and tremendous parish! And I thank Susan Graham, the chair of the Cathedral Towers Fund committee. I thank Joe Iarocci, the chair of the Plummer Outreach Fund committee. I thank Rick Tyler, of the Cathedral Scholars Committee. I thank Amy Mininberg, of the Ricks-Wheeler Fund Committee. I thank the Reverend Julia Mitchener, our Canon for Mission; I thank Sara Craig-Goodell, our Program Coordinator for Outreach; I thank David Rocchio, our brilliant Director of Stewardship. I am thankful to be part of such a lively and generous community.
The Very Reverend Samuel G. Candler
Dean of the Cathedral of St. Philip