The search has come to an end
and our prayers have been answered!

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

A MESSAGE FROM THE SR. WARDEN

Dear St. Paul’s family,

It is my great pleasure to announce that the Rev. Hayden P. Paul has accepted our call to serve as the eighth rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Katy.

Fr. Hayden was the unanimous choice of our Rector Search Committee, a diverse group of parishioners representing a wide range of St. Paul’s stakeholders, and also received a unanimous vote of approval from the St. Paul’s Vestry. We are delighted to welcome Hayden as our next rector, and his first Sunday of ministry will be July 19, 2026.

Fr. Hayden is currently the Curate of Jubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, a young and vibrant church plant in the Diocese. Before being called to his current position, Hayden served at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC and St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia as their Seminarian. Prior to receiving his call to the priesthood during the COVID pandemic, he served in a variety of Public and Governmental Affairs roles and worked in the Texas Legislature. He currently serves on the Diocese of Texas Task Force for the Ethical Use of AI, is the Vice-Chair of Supervisors and Tellers for Diocesan Council, and serves as a Board Member of the North American Committee for St. George’s College Jerusalem. Also, Fr. Hayden is a member of the Trinity Wall Street Leadership Fellows 2024 Cohort, a 2025 Epworth Fellow with the John Wesley Institute and has been named a 2026 Fellow with the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (F.A.S.P.E) program.

After earning a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary, Hayden was ordained as a priest in 2025. His undergraduate degree is a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Business Administration from Texas A&M University, and he begins further study on a Master of Sacred Theology from Sewanee – The University of the South, this Fall.

When our search committee met Fr. Hayden, they heard this call with clarity. Hayden truly loves God, and he loves God’s people. He seeks to help everyone find where God is already working in their lives and wants to empower the ministry in which you are called, whatever that may be. Hayden’s energy and enthusiastic personality are balanced with vision, a pastoral nature, and a passion for telling everyone about the vast and expansive love of Jesus. We are looking forward to the beginning of this exciting new chapter together. Following this letter, please find a special written message from Fr. Hayden.

Finally, please join me in expressing our deep appreciation to the St. Paul’s Rector Search Committee: Joyce Davis, chair, Ann Harris, Craig Henderson, Mary Brimer, Rob Schindler, Andrea Smith, and Val Wimbish. We put our trust in them, and they saw us through and kept us updated throughout the discernment process. We are so appreciative of this dedicated group!

For now, please keep Fr. Hayden, Jubilee, and St. Paul’s in your prayers as we move through this exciting time of transition.

Sincerely,

John Johnston, Senior Warden

FROM THE DESK OF THE RECTOR-ELECT

Beloved of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Katy,

Alleluia, Christ is risen! In this blessed Eastertide, as we proclaim the resurrection of our Lord and God who makes all things new, I write with a full heart and deep gratitude as your new Rector. I am humbled and overjoyed to accept the call extended by the Vestry and affirmed by the Search Committee and I look forward to beginning my ministry among you on July 19. The trust you place in me is a gift; one I do not take lightly and one I intend to steward well.

My sincere and heartfelt thanks go to your Search Committee and to your Senior Warden, John Johnston. It was clear that the Holy Spirit was at work from the very beginning of this process. The questions your committee asked, the candor with which they engaged, and the abundant love they carry for this congregation pointed unmistakably toward something larger than any of us could ever orchestrate ourselves. My gratitude is not just for this call, but for the clarity with which it came. I see the extraordinary opportunities God has placed before this parish; opportunities to grow, to serve, and to proclaim the Good News in ways this community has only begun to imagine. With so much beautiful history behind you, I am excited for the walk we now take together through the next chapter of our shared history.

For me, ministry is about helping people notice and join in the work God is already doing in our communities, our connections, and the ordinary corners of our lives. I love preaching and teaching that connects Scripture with real life, and I especially love watching lay leaders discover and step into their own sense of call. More than anything, I love showing up in life’s toughest moments and the joyful ones too, hoping to help you see God in all things.

I spent nearly a decade in public affairs and governmental relations before ordination and this experience taught me how to build coalitions, navigate complexity, and lead through times of change. This makes me a second-career priest, but the Church has always been a special place of refuge, comfort, and joy. I earned my Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2024, and most recently have served as Curate at Jubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, a young and vibrant church plant in the Diocese that is fully living into its baptismal calling.

As my Labradoodle Truman and I prepare to join you, I am anchored by the words of St. Paul in his second letter to Timothy, “for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline” I pray that spirit of power, love, and self-discipline is what marks our life together. A member of your Search Committee described this congregation as “a fueled rocket on the launchpad, waiting for ignition.” Since then, I have not been able to stop thinking about this image and I believe it wholeheartedly. The growth potential of St. Paul’s, numerically, spiritually, missionally, and relationally is extraordinary and together, I pray we step into a new era guided by a simple conviction – that our collective faith is greater than our collective fear.

I cannot wait to meet you, learn your names, hear your stories, and walk alongside you as we work together to discover where God is calling St. Paul’s next! You are in my prayers, and I ask that you hold me in yours as well.

Faithfully,

The Rev. Hayden P. Paul +
8th Rector-Elect
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Katy