Clergy & Staff
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Rector
The Rev. Dr. Mauricio J. WilsonFr. Wilson, who also answers to Fr. Mauricio, became rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in October 2009. Since arriving in the Bay Area to serve at St. Paul’s he has also been active in ministries around Oakland and the Diocese of California. As the rector of St. Paul’s, he holds ex-officio seats on the Board of Clausen House in Oakland and St Paul’s Episcopal School. He is a member of the Governing Board of the National Association of Episcopal Schools and former member of the Board of Trustees of the CDSP. In addition he is the Western Regional Director of the Union of Black Episcopalians.
He served on the Executive Council of the Diocese, the Program and Budget Committee and chaired the Assessment Relief Committee, as well as the Diocesan Committee on Nominations. Fr. Wilson was a Mayoral appointee to the City of Oakland’s Citizens Police Review Board and served as a Commissioner for 2016 and 2017. A lifelong Episcopalian, he is the child of deeply committed church leaders, his mother serves as a multidimensional lay leader of her parish and his father (R.I.P.) was Bishop of Costa Rica. Fr. Mauricio started preaching at age 17, and was Youth Director of the Diocese of Costa Rica for 15 years. A business and accounting major at the University of Costa Rica, he was a registered CPA in his home country, eventually working as an auditor for Coopers Lybrand Accounting, the Coca Cola Co. and for a private bank. “My first calling was always to the priesthood,” said Fr. Wilson, who is bilingual in English and Spanish. “Accounting was my backup plan.” He attained the Doctor of Ministry degree in Ministry Development from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2013, as well as Master's degrees in Divinity and Sacred Theology (Liturgy) from General Theological Seminary in 2000 and 2001 respectively. His wife Karla is a Doctor of Mechanical Engineering, and they have two daughters. His hobbies include cooking (his daughters love his Thanksgiving lasagna), collecting wines and driving different kinds of vehicles. He’s looking forward to learning to drive an 18-wheeler and a race car someday. His favorite book is Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons and he figures he’s seen his favorite movie, The Matrix, 150 times. |
Archdeacon
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Assisting Priest
The Rev. Anne Jensen
A recently retired priest, the Rev. Anne Jensen returned to St. Paul’s as an assisting priest in 2015. She served as Interim Rector at St. Paul’s from 2006-2008 and then served two other interim periods before retiring.
Anne grew up in central Washington, a beautiful and rich agricultural area. She earned a BA in history and an MA in counseling at Stanford. While living in Minneapolis, Anne became the director of Christian Education for the Cathedral of St. Mark. During this time she realized a call to ordained ministry. She was eventually able to transfer to Yale Divinity School, from which she graduated in 1988. She was ordained priest the following year and served a variety of churches there—urban, suburban, and country. Anne’s ministry in California has focused on helping churches in time of transition as they prepare to call a new rector. Anne is also an experienced spiritual director and has worked with seminarians both at Yale and at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. In addition to assisting in worship and preaching, she serves in the areas of adult faith formation, incorporation of new members and pastoral care. She lives in Oakland with her husband Doug. |
Assisting Priest
The Rev. Christian Harding
Rev. Christian Harding had a long career in the ministry in his native Liberia, surviving the African nation’s civil war, before retiring to California and joining St. Paul’s as assisting clergy in 2004.
He is often the celebrant at the 8 a.m. Sunday service. Ordained in Liberia in 1981, Father Christian served in a number of capacities, at one time supervising 125 congregations and 110 priests. He was rector at St. Paul’s church in Liberia and served as a curate at Trinity Cathedral in Monrovia. He was a teacher and principal at an Episcopal school for 21 years before his ordination. During the war, which started in 1998, his wife and six children left the country in search of safety. Born on Christmas Day in 1933, he was one of 12 children in what he describes as a strict family. He allows that he’s had to make adjustments to the American church. "When I was preaching, I’d preach for 40 to 45 minutes. Here, you sometimes have to quell the spirit, and not go over 15 minutes.” Now a widower, his hobbies include reading, listening to classical music and playing piano to amuse himself. He has many grandchildren, mostly on the East Coast, and one great-grandchild in Sacramento. ”I like quietness,” he says. ”I run from rowdy people.” |
Bio coming soon!
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