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 .
Email for The Very Rev. Dr. Brian Baker

The Rev. Canon Ernestina Campbell, Deacon

Tina was assigned to the Cathedral by Bishop Lamb in 1993 to work in the area of Urban Ministry. The prior two years she served as the Deacon at St. Luke's Church, Woodland. A native of Los Angeles, she received her B.A. from the University of California, Davis, and M.A. from California State University at Sacramento. She received her Diaconal Training at the School for Deacons in the Diocese of California. She serves at the Cathedral in a non-stipendiary capacity and teaches first grade at Camellia School in the Sacramento City Unified School District. Her husband, Brian, also teaches First Grade at the same school.
Email for Deacon Tina Campbell

The Rev. Grant S. Carey, 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.
Email for The Rev. Grant Carey

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. Kathleen M. Kelly, Canon Evangelist

Kathleen's first career gave her considerable experience in all aspects of conflict management and dispute resolution. She has served as a Labor Arbitrator and Mediator since 1983, specializing in employment disputes and public policy issues. This work grew out of practice as an employment lawyer and full-time teaching at McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, where Kathleen was the Academic Dean for eight of seventeen years on the faculty.
In 2005, Kathleen received her Master of Divinity degree from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, her prior education having been received at Yale (B.A., 1973) and Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley (J.D., 1976). She joined the Cathedral staff at that time, and now serves as the Canon Evangelist. Kathleen works in all aspects of parish life, with particular attention to worship planning, lay minister training, Stephen Ministry support, children's programs, and ministry development. She has written for Forward Day by Day and is the author of other devotional and study guides.

Kathleen serves on the Boards for Loaves and Fishes (where nearly 1000 meals per day are served and other safety net services provided), the Samaritan Counseling Center, and the Episcopal Foundation of Northern California.
Email for The Rev. Canon Kathleen Kelly

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.
Email for The. Rev. Canon Lynell Walker

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.

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.