The Rev. Catherine Short has been re-appointed to the position of priest-in-charge at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Corner Brook in the diocese of Western Newfoundland.
“After prayerful discernment, consultation with the metropolitan, and in keeping with his determination of June 13, 2025, and a follow up to that, I have invited the Reverend Catherine Short to serve as interim priest-in-charge at the cathedral, effective December 1, 2025,” interim diocesan administrator the Rev. Mickton Phiri announced in a pastoral letter dated Nov. 8.
Former Bishop John Organ had fired Short in January. After an investigation last spring, provincial metropolitan Archbishop David Edwards said Organ had not followed proper procedures when terminating her. Organ retired Oct. 1, leaving the diocese without a bishop, and Short cannot be fully reinstated as the cathedral’s dean, her former position, until a new bishop is elected.
Short said she was pleased to be returning as priest-in-charge for the moment and hoped she would be fully reinstated when a new bishop is elected.
“Some are a little disappointed that it’s not a full recovery, but … I think we’ve reached the maximum of what could be done [for now],” she said. Short added she had been feeling the joy of being restored since she heard from Phiri on Nov. 8, along with some nervousness about what it will be like trying to pick up after a year-long disruption.
“This has pretty nearly broken my spirit. If it wasn’t resolved [Nov. 8], that was it. There was nowhere else to go. So I’m filled with a lot of angst,” she said. “Is there enough left of [the person] God called to come back and minister in this church?” Those she’s spoken to have been supportive, and encouraged her to take it step-by-step, she said, and she is looking forward to proceeding with joy and prayer.
In January, Organ publicly announced at a live-streamed worship service in the cathedral that he was firing Short and revoking her license to practise ministry. He said she had exhibited anger management issues and a passive-aggressive style of leadership, and had not responded to his attempts to resolve a conflict he did not name explicitly after an outburst on her part.
Following her firing, parishioners at the cathedral disputed Organ’s claims about Short’s leadership. Some picketed the cathedral, demanded her reinstatement, many took to social media to register strong objections; others left the parish. The vestry resigned in protest. Short later filed a safe church complaint against Organ.
In findings announced in June, Edwards said Organ had engaged in discriminatory practice, emotional abuse and bullying against Short. He called Organ to reinstate her license, apologize and take leave until his retirement. Organ ignored these recommendations at the time, saying he did not believe the process had been fair, but later moved up his retirement to Oct. 1.
Reached by the Anglican Journal, Organ said he felt the process had been unfair and had ignored what he believed were legitimate points on his part, including the original reason for the dismissal. That related to a report of bullying that had been made against Short and which he was obligated to look into, he said. He declined to give specifics, citing the privacy of those involved. He says the diocesan legal counsel noted at the time there were procedural issues with the ecclesiastical report, saying it deflected attention from the original complaint against Short.
Asked about the bullying complaint, Short told the Journal, “If that’s true, this is the first I’ve heard about it.” She added that Organ had not mentioned the complaint during a meeting with vestry members shortly before Short’s dismissal at which they asked him about the nature of the problems he said there had been at the cathedral.
Organ described the response from Short’s supporters on social media and elsewhere as a campaign of anger and hate “so far removed from Christian love that it is incomprehensible.” Even more disturbing, he said, was “their anger, hate, and complete distortion of the truth have been rewarded by our church.”
Short and supporters have posted actively on a Facebook group, titled “Anglicans (& others) for Accountability and Justice.” In it, they have shared news, comment and feelings on the process of dealing with the complaint, including critical opinions of Organ’s and other church leaders’ conduct over the past year.
Short told the Journal the incident threatened her wellbeing and her relationship with the church. “The man dismissed me without cause. And he turned around and stood up in front of the world and spoke about my personnel files and my character. Many have told me through this process, ‘you need to sue.’ But I’ve known that the day I sue the church is the last day I will have involvement with the church,” she said. “It would mean my spirit truly was broken and beyond repair.” She’s grateful she and the church were able to work it out another way, she said.
Now, she’s hopeful that the beginning of Advent, a time of anticipation, renewal and moving forward into new love will be a good thematic fit for her return to the cathedral. Still, she said, it’s important to keep the past in mind and she’s glad the incident has drawn some attention to the issue of power imbalance and unfair conduct in the church. “This should never happen to anyone again,” she said.
Meanwhile, Organ told the Journal he thought the church had missed an opportunity to model conflict resolution with love. “Social media, media, and our church’s discomfort with all the noise in the public sphere meant it all had to go away and it didn’t matter what the original issue was.”
For his part, Phiri says he’s also hopeful this Advent can symbolize a renewed relationship. “It’s a new season, it gives a new mentality. So we’re hoping that this decision will help us move in a spirit of hope, in a spirit of peace, joy and [be] bonded in love.”
Edwards did not respond to the Anglican Journal’s request for comment.
