First of all, here are all the things that are supposed to impress and overwhelm you with the intent that you will be led to believe that I am one important personage. I am the holder of a bachelor's and master's degree in history from San Jose State University. I attended the University of Bucharest, Romania, as a Fulbright Scholar. I am a Fellow of the College of Preachers at the Washington National Cathedral. St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York invited me to be a Visiting Fellow for one academic year. My formal theology education consists of the Bachelors in Theological Education from the School for Deacons and a Masters in Sacred Theology awarded by the Jesuit School of Theology, both these fine institutions located in Berkeley.

Secondly, here is what I really am. I am a deacon in the Episcopal Church, having been so for over twenty years. For the first ten years of ordained ministry I was a diocesan bureaucrat, assisting the first two bishops of El Camino Real as Canon Administrator. Of considerable more satisfaction has been the second and current stage of my clerical ministry in which I serve as Chaplain to the inmates and staff of the Santa Cruz County Jails. Hopefully I model a leadership style and role in the Church and the world that makes Christ and his redemptive love known to those among whom I live, and work, and worship.

By the end of June 2007 I will no longer serve as Staff Chaplain in the Jail. I am leaving the position, but that does not mean that I am retiring to pursue a life of leisure. I am exploring a number of options for a full and active ministry in the future. I will keep you all informed of the exciting possibilities as they are revealed to me. God is good!

Currently there is no vision on the horizon that does not include St. Timothy's Church. I will continue to worship at the parish because it is the finest example of a covenanted Christian community. The parish is a truly exciting place where I find that I am sustained, strengthened, and enabled to pursue my daily life and work.

-The Reverend Canon Robert J. Seifert