As part of our Cathedral Faces series, we are sharing biographies of our staff members and clergy. These dedicated individuals contribute a lot to our community, in ways seen and unseen, and we are thankful for their work.

Professionally, Jason is an Army Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces in his 27th year of service. He belongs to the Royal Canadian Regiment which has a historical relationship with the Cathedral. Currently he works in downtown Fredericton at the Carleton Street Armouries as the Regular Force Adjutant attached to the Royal New Brunswick Regiment.

He holds a Bachelor of Military Arts and Sciences Degree from the Royal Military College at Kingston Ontario and a Diploma in Theology from Thorneloe University. He has also completed numerous theological courses with Wycliffe College as part of the Master of Theological Studies, due to changes in military educational funding and free time he has put the degree on hold. As an Infantry Soldier and Officer he has deployed to the former Yugoslavia, Haiti, Afghanistan, and Latvia with domestic operations to the Quebec Ice Storm, the Swiss Air disaster, and local emergencies.

Jason is married to Susan and together they have three children, Gabe, Nate, and Ivy. Jason came to the Anglican tradition in 2013 and has an ecumenical background within other Christian traditions. Jason began as Verger on 01 July 2019.

His role with the military has seen some increased demands combined with additional family commitments has seen the role of Verger take on an increasingly shared role with Hank Williams, whom Jason affectionately refers to as the Verger Emeritus. He is grateful for Hank’s willingness to share this role. Should anyone be interested in joining them in this shared role, they are encouraged to speak with Jason.

As part of our Cathedral Faces series, we are sharing biographies of our clergy and staff members. These dedicated individuals contribute a lot to our community, in ways seen and unseen, and we are thankful for their work.

Geoffrey Hall has been Dean of Fredericton since September 2014. As a priest of the Diocese of Fredericton, he is the appointed priest at Christ Church Cathedral and serves a canonical role in the Diocese outlined in Canon Four s.5 and in the Bishop and Chapter By-Law.

Geoffrey holds a BEd (Major-Secondary Environmental Studies, Minor-General Science) from the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton (1986) and was admitted to the degree of Master of Divinity (MDiv) at Atlantic School of Theology (1990). In the Diocese he has served in the parishes of St. Phillip's, Moncton, Central Kings, St. Paul, the Tobique, Grand Bay, Ketepec, as Archdeacon of St. Andrews (2001-2003) and was Diocesan Archdeacon and Executive Assistant to Bishop Claude Miller (2003-2014).

Originally from Woodstock NB, Geoffrey is married to Kelley and feels called particularly to ministries of Christian proclamation and faith development. He enjoys music and the casual study of things technological, especially that which enables and enhances communication. When not attending to the duties of ministry, spending time with family (two grandchildren!), experimenting with some of what is possible with computer-based technology and the internet and making a bit of wine all keep him more than occupied.

As part of our Cathedral Faces series, we are sharing biographies of our staff members and clergy. These dedicated individuals contribute a lot to our community, in ways seen and unseen, and we are thankful for their work.

Kirsten McKnight is passionate about creating positive change through community collaboration and inclusiveness.

She holds a B.A. from Memorial University of Newfoundland (History and Political Science) and an LL.B. from the University of New Brunswick. She spent 15 years working as a consultant for The Quaich Inc. with a variety of non-profit organizations on health promotion initiatives, communications and event planning; most notably, the Atlantic Summer Institute on Healthy and Safe Communities, Special Olympics PEI, the Canadian Breast Cancer Network, the Public Health Agency of Canada's Canadian Breast Cancer Initiative, and the New Brunswick Breast and Women's Cancer Partnership. In her personal life, Kirsten has volunteered with a number of youth-focused community groups.

Born in Ontario, Kirsten has lived in five provinces and her strongest roots are in Newfoundland, where most of her extended family lives. Her family owns a record company specializing in traditional Newfoundland music, Avondale Music. Fun fact: in university, she spent several years on-air at the MUN campus radio station. She met her husband Brad, a Pharmacist from PEI, at MUN. They have lived in Fredericton since 2002 and have two daughters: Claire and Charlotte.

Kirsten has grown in faith as part of the Cathedral’s church family: through worship, as a member of the Communications Committee, a Belize mission team member (2013), and a volunteer for programs and events. As Office Administrator, she also sits on the Finance and Administration Committee.

She joined the Cathedral staff in the fall of 2020, following the retirement of longtime Office Administrator Fran Miles. In the course of her duties, Kirsten produces digital and print communications, acts as a liaison between the Cathedral and community organizations, assists Cathedral groups with tasks as-needed, and provides records management and financial assistance. She enjoys meeting people as the front-line contact in the office.

She feels blessed to be a part of the Cathedral’s staff, helping to connect the community for God’s purposes.

As part of our Cathedral Faces series, we are sharing biographies of our clergy and staff members. These dedicated individuals contribute a lot to our community, in ways seen and unseen, and we are thankful for their work.

Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Debbie grew up in Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick, where she still makes her home with Phillip, her husband of 45+ years. They have two sons and daughters-in-law and four grandchildren, who are a tremendous source of joy.

She is a life-long Anglican, with, as she describes, “a well rounded Ecumenical background.” Drawing on her rural roots, she leads workshops and retreats with humour and a down to earth sense of the sacred. Debbie was ordained as a Vocational Deacon on 01 February 2009. She completed training in Spiritual Direction with the Haden Institute in conjunction with Mount Carmel Spiritual Center in Niagara Falls in 2014.

She is employed as a Spiritual Care Practitioner at Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital. She has always been involved with her church community through groups and activities from teaching Sunday School to serving on Vestry to being a Layreader and then being called to Ordained Ministry, which she feels is an ongoing learning and awakening experience. She is the Diocesan Representative for the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer and is also a member of the Diocesan Spiritual Development Team. She has volunteered with the Fredericton Homeless Shelters, and also was a volunteer reader with AMI-Accessible Media Inc.

As part of our Cathedral Faces series, we are sharing biographies of our staff members. These dedicated individuals contribute a lot to our community, in ways seen and unseen, and we are thankful for their work.

Ashley John Swim was born in Oromocto and raised in McAdam, where his family still resides. As a child and youth he spent a lot of time on his grandfather’s farm just outside McAdam near the New Brunswick/Maine border. He considers himself an outdoorsman and loves nature, and is also an avid reader with a broad range of interests. He loves history and one of his favorite hobbies is tracing ancestry and genealogy.

Ashley has worked in a variety of settings over the years, including the YMCA of Fredericton, Christ Church Parish Church, Brunswick Street Baptist Church, the University of New Brunswick, St. Thomas University, and most recently the Maritime Forestry Complex.

Ashley is a proud New Brunswicker and Maritimer. He loves Fredericton and enjoys hiking and biking the many trails in and around the city. During the weekend and summer vacation, he can usually be found with his wife Lana and daughters Piper and Sundae near the ocean, either on Grand Manan or Pocologan. Ashley is very grateful to be a part of the Cathedral congregation.

As Cathedral Sexton, Ashley's work involves the cleaning and care of Christ Church Cathedral and Cathedral Memorial Hall. He frequently liaises with service providers, the Property Committee and Heritage Standing (the engineering firm that wrote the Cathedral Conditions and Issues Report). The position of Sexton is integral to the overall operations of Christ Church Cathedral.