Rev. James Parks Morton

Biography

The Very Reverend James Parks Morton founded the ICNY after retiring from his service as Dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Seat of the Episcopal Diocese of New York in 1997 and has been its president since.

Already a national force in urban ministry when he became dean of the Cathedral in 1972, in 25 years Dean Morton achieved recognition throughout the world as one of the most energetic and accomplished religious leaders of our time. Even a partial list of his accomplishments is astonishing. In 1973, he conceived the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB) dedicated to helping people rebuild, occupy and own their own apartments - the first of many outreach projects that have become national models. Others include the youth self-help organization, The Valley, which annually assists over 5000 youths from challenged backgrounds in job training, counseling and interpersonal survival and life-enrichment tools; Homes for the Homeless, a program serving the poorest families in the community by helping them to find housing and to attain the life-skills needed to maintain their homes; the Stoneyard Apprentice Program which trained local unemployed youth to become skilled stonecarvers and stone masons. He opened the Cathedral to the arts through artist-in-residence programs, free concerts of great music, art exhibitions and apprentice programs. Artists-in-residence include saxophonist Paul Winter, high wire artist Philippe Petit, Early Music conductor Fred Renz, the African-American "Forces of Nature Dance Company," Renaissance Italian Street Theatre, I Giullari di Piazza, and the American Poets Corner.

Dean Morton early perceived the centrality of the environment in religion. He began the first Recycling Center on Manhattan's Upper West Side; conceived St. Francis Day, The Native American Thanksgiving, and helped found the Joint Appeal of Science and Religion and the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, a group which has instilled over 50,000 congregations of every faith across America with the idea of sacred ecology and environmental responsibility.

Another salient element of his ministry is the promotion of tolerance and understanding through a respect for all faith traditions. Among his interfaith activities, Dean Morton served as president of the Temple of Understanding (1985-1997), and as co-chair of the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders (1985-1993).