CLERGY
The Very Reverend Julia McCray-Goldsmith, Dean
Dean Julia was called to Trinity Cathedral as Priest in Charge in 2019 and as Dean in 2022. Previously, she served for three years as Canon for Cathedral Life at our sister Trinity Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. She spent 13 years serving on the staff of the Episcopal Bishop of California where she oversaw a broad portfolio of ministries related to growing up in and deepening Christian faith. Bilingual in Spanish, Julia was sponsored for ordination by La Santisima Trinidad (a Latino congregation in the Diocese of California) and was made a priest in 2013. A former missionary and non-profit fundraiser, Julia did her graduate theological studies at Creighton University and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, where she now teaches as an adjunct professor. She is a faithful student of Jesuit spirituality, contributor to Daily Prayer for All Seasons and Lifting Women's Voices, and blogs at www.liftupyourhearts.net.
Julia has been married for 35 years to John, a public finance professional who serves as Trustee of the Church Pension Fund. Together, Julia and John are the frequently surprised and always grateful parents of Nicaraguan-born (and now young adult) sons Amos and Aaron, daughter-in-law Jillian, and granddaughter Ella. In addition to Scripture, Tradition, and Reason, Julia considers Pinterest to be her muse and spends way too much time dreaming up (and occasionally executing) crafty projects.
The Reverend Filemón Díaz, Canon for Leadership Development
Father Filemón was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and was ordained in 1997. He moved to the United States in 2006, along with his wife and children (Nancy, Nancy Jr., Diego, and Sebastian) to work with various non-profit organizations helping the Latino community in the Los Angeles area. In 2012 he was invited to collaborate with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in the development of Latino missions, and in 2014 he received a call to reestablish a Latino congregation in Denver. Says Filemón: “It was an exciting experience, a place that gave me the opportunity to reaffirm my call to serve others in the example of Christ.”
In 2018 he was invited to serve as a mission developer in the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, in the King City area, encompassing all of South Monterey County. He enjoyed the support of the diocesan team, which gave him the opportunity to plant a new Latino church in the area, serving a large immigrant community, and also three Anglo congregations. “Through it,” Filemón says, “I learned a lot about the Episcopal Church, its leadership, its deep spirituality, its great sense of service and its special interest in opening the doors to all people, especially in the Latino community.” Father Filemón was received into the Episcopal Church in 2023.
The Reverend Dr. Bertram Nagarajah, Deacon
The Reverend Dr. Bertram Nagarajah has been assigned as the new deacon at Trinity Cathedral, beginning in December 2023.
Deacon Bertram is also a volunteer Jail Chaplain at the Elmwood jail in San Jose and a volunteer hospital chaplain at Kaiser Hospital in Fremont. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and a Bachelor of Diaconal Studies from the School for Deacons in Berkeley, California. He is an electrical engineer by training and holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Information Technology.
Deacon Bertram is passionate about the well-being of homeless and marginalized people in the community. His emphasis is the ministry of presence, where we walk and accompany people on their life’s journey. His spiritual life is founded in prayer and worship, the source of strength and power to do God’s work here on earth.
The Reverend Anna Lange-Soto, Associate Clergy
Madre Anna was born in Arizona, bordering Sonora, Mexico. With family and friends on both sides of the border, she grew up bilingual and bicultural, trying to integrate differences in life and expressions of faith. She joined Trinity Cathedral around 1990. She helped found la congregación de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe and re-start the campus ministry at San Jose State University. The Diocese of El Camino Real ordained her to the priesthood in 1998. In her ministry in Latino communities in the Diocese of California, she developed some of the early online tools used by Episcopal Latino ministries and others, including a complete bilingual Sunday lectionary, service booklets, and immigration information and resources. Madre Anna is now retired from full-time ministry and serving again at Trinity Cathedral, mostly with Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.
Staff
Adrien Cotta, Music Director
Adrien Cotta has a Classics degree from Oxford University and a Master’s degree in music from the Royal College of Music, London, where he studied piano with John Barstow (who taught Barry Douglas) for six years. He has played organ at churches since the age of nine and accompanies the San Jose Symphonic Choir. He works for Vialto Partners, formerly part of PwC, where he advises companies and individuals on their global mobility needs. He has lived in Silicon Valley since 2006, after moving from London, England.
Shane Patrick Connolly, Interim Cathedral Administrator
Shane Patrick Connolly has been, since 1997, a communicant of Trinity Cathedral, where he volunteers as cantor, carillonneur, and choir member. He is a native of Central New York and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Cum Laude) and an MBA in Accounting from the University at Buffalo (State University of New York). He was Chief of Staff for District 10 Councilmember Johnny Khamis for both of his 4-year terms, preceded by two years as a council staffer for District 1 Councilmember Pete Constant. Prior to Shane Patrick's public service, he served in progressively responsible accounting positions for a Fortune-500 paper-based packaging producer, including as Business Unit Controller for multiple facilities comprising a $180 million business unit.