5 February 2024
Please help us to welcome our Multicultural Missioner, The Rev. Celal J. Kamran to the diocesan team. Bishop Scanlan offers, “I am excited to welcome Celal to this new role that will serve our whole diocese as we grow together in the image of God.”
The Multicultural Missioner will work in our diocese in a part-time position among our clergy and parishes to explore congregational opportunities for the growth of the Beloved Community across our diocese. The Rev. Kamran’s role as Rector of St. Paul’s, Harrisburg, will inform his work as he shares the good news and success of pastoring a thriving multicultural and racially diverse congregation. He will begin by getting to know our clergy and lay leaders and listening to their stories of how they are working to build the Beloved Community and discovering what support is needed for deeper work.
The Rev. Kamran will work alongside our Dismantling Racism Commission as a partner in this critical effort that has, at its heart, our baptismal promises of respecting the dignity of all human beings and striving for justice and peace.
The Rev. Father Celal J. Kamran joins the Bishop’s staff from the Washington D.C. area. He was born and raised in Pakistan until the age of nine, when he moved to Virginia with his family. Celal is a graduate of Messiah University where he majored in Biblical and Religious Studies, and Virginia Theological Seminary, where he obtained a Master’s in Divinity. Before the priesthood, Celal volunteered as a local firefighter. After his undergraduate studies, he spent a year in the Episcopal Service Corps, an intentional community of young adults living and serving in Richmond, Virginia. He has served in two parishes in Virginia, Pohick Church and St. Luke’s, as an associate priest before becoming rector of St. Paul’s, Harrisburg. Father Celal loves spending time with his wife, Erin, and their rambunctious dogs, Clifford and Rajah. He also enjoys cooking, reading South Asian fiction, and exploring different cuisines with Erin.
“I am excited to join into the ministry of healing in the diocese as we all continue in our call of becoming the Beloved Community. My goal is to hear your stories and learn how to best support you in your ministries as it relates to justice. I look forward to hearing from you.”
To contact, please email The Rev. Celal Kamran.
