The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-11-27
Rev. Arthur McKenny
 New Cathedral Dean
Former Assistant at St. Johns Church Here Starts Duties January l-Succeeds RI. Rev. Walter Gray

Hartford, Nov. 27.-Rev. Arthur F, McKenny of New Haven, who in 1923 resigned as assistant minister of Central Baptist Church to be- come assistant rector in a Water bury Episcopal church, Tuesday was elected dean of Christ Church Cathedral by unanimous vote of the Cathedral Chapter.
 Rev. MT. McKenny, now rector of St. Paul's Church in New Haven will become dean January 1 if he accepts the appointment.
 Selection of Rev. MT. McKenny for the post was unanimous and was on nomination of Rt. Rev. Fred erick c. Budlong, Bishop of Con- necticut. The New Haven rector will succeed Rt. Rev. Walter H. Gray, Suffragan bishop, who was consecrated earlier this month. By coincidence, Bishop Gray was as- sistant rector at St. Johns Church here when Rev. MT. McKenny was assistant at Central Baptist.
 If Rev. MT. McKenny accepts the appointment, his resignation from his present church must be accepted and Bishop Budlong must give his consent to the change.
 In his letter of resignation to Gen. tral Baptist in 1928, Rev. MT. Me- Kenny explained his change of de- nomination as follows:
 For some time have found much that appeals to me in the Episcopal Church. There is an appreciation of the aesthetic values, recognition of the place of art in religion, to which something deep in me re- spends. like also the inclusiveness of the Episcopal Church. Dr. Jo- seph Fort Newton put this better than I, when in making three years ago the transition that I contem- plate, he mentioned the central strategic position which the Episco- pal Church holds in the confused religious situation of our time,' and wrote, Tt is the roomieSt church in Christendom in that it accepts the basic facts of Christian faith as symbols of transcendent truths, which each may interpret as his in- sight and experience explore their depth in wonder"
 Rev. MT. McKenny was born in Cleveland, Ohio, July g, 1894, and attended schools there and in Tren- ton, N. J. He spent several years with industrial and business con- cerns before serving with the AEF during the World War. He attended Hobart College and Colgate Univer- sity and in 1923 was graduated from Brown University with a Ph. B. de- gree. He studied at Yale Divinity School for a year, transferring to Union Theological Seminary for two years but returning to Yale, where he received his BID in 1926.
 In 1924, while serving as student pastor of the Baptist Church in Ar dena, N. J., Rev. MT. McKenny was ordained to the Baptist ministry. He became assistant at Central Bap- tist in 1926 and preached his fare- well sermon there December 30, 1928.
 From here he went to Waterbury to become assistant rector of St. Johns Church in Waterbury. In 1930 he was ordained to the Episco- pal priesthood by the late Rt. Rev. E. Campion Acheson, then Bishop of Connecticut. He became rector of St. Paul's in New Haven on Novem- Der 1, 1883. For a time he was in charge of Episcopal work among un- dergraduates at Columbia Univer- sity.
 Married and the father of two Rev. MT. McKenny is a trustee of Berkeley Divinity School, member of several Episcopal dioce- san committees, and former presi- dent of the New Haven Council of Churches. In 1898 he was among those mentioned as candidates for the office of coadjutor bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York. He was supplemental delegate to the General Convention and the Synod of the Province of New Eng land this year.