James A. Kowalski

James A. Kowalski was the 9th dean of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York, of the Episcopal Church in New York City, the largest city in the United States. He had been Dean from April 13, 2002, until he stepped down effective June 2017.

Kowalski's father was Roman Catholic and his mother was Jewish, but they joined the Episcopal Church when they started a family. at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, a notable honors society. He takes pride in his preaching, stating once, "I’m an old English major, and I can overlay meanings on anything, but in this case it was just the Sunday sermon...." and Covington, Kentucky. He also speaks and writes on peace in the world.

Each year on the first Sunday of October, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine celebrates the feast day of St. Francis, which is October 4, and, one year, Kowalski welcomed peacocks to the cathedral close in New York.

On November 30, 2008, Kowalski officially re-opened the cathedral after workers made repairs to the burned structure. Kowalski compared continuing the church's programs while it was being re-built was "like living through a kitchen renovation, but ...'We're only doing it on a grander scale.'" The re-dedication ceremony was co-led by Kowalski, with the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, the Right Rev. Mark S. Sisk, the Episcopal bishop of New York. After the ceremony, Kowalski said, "The massiveness of this cathedral is part of its ability to be a compelling, awe-inspiring place...."

In a 2015 open letter, Kowalski discussed the recent controversies about police shootings in the United States:

In August 2016, Kowalski announced he would retire as of June 2017 after 16 years' service.

In July 2020, the Diocese of Connecticut resolved a case of abuse claims from 1984 against Kowalski involving a woman under the age of 21 who had been under his pastoral care.