2026 Canon Nelson Pinder Commemoration Day

By: The Diocese of Central Florida

(This article is copied from: 2026 Canon Nelson Pinder Commemoration Day – Episcopal Diocese Of Central Florida)

The Rev. Canon Dr. Nelson W. Pinder left an enduring legacy by challenging the Diocese of Central Florida to move toward Becoming Beloved Community through examining and enhancing anti-racism efforts.

At the 54th Annual Diocesan Convention of the Diocese of Central Florida, a resolution was passed unanimously, calling for an annual diocese-wide commemoration day honoring Canon Pinder on July 10. The Convention also authorized the Canon Nelson Pinder UBE Chapter of Central Florida to craft an appropriate collect, select recommended readings and draft a brief biography of Canon Pinder to be distributed to all congregations of the diocese for use on the commemoration day.

This year, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin S. Holcomb has given permission to transfer this special liturgy from Friday, July 10, to Sunday, July 12, to encourage as much participation in the commemoration as possible.

Hagiography

Nelson Wardell Pinder was born in 1932 in Miami, Florida. He was baptized and confirmed at Miami’s historic St. Agnes Episcopal Church. After serving in the Army during the Korean War, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from Bethune-Cookman College and a Master’s Degree in Education from Florida A&M University. Inspired by the example of young Episcopal priests working in urban ministries in Montgomery and Tuskegee, Alabama, he said, “Yes” to God, earning a MDiv from Nashotah House Theological Seminary, Nashotah, Wisconsin.

In 1959, Fr. Pinder was called to Orlando and began his ordained ministry as the first full-time priest of color at The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist. Upon his arrival at the Orlando airport, segregation met him. He was denied a “white only” cab. While he waited for a “Black” cab, he was denied a cup of coffee. He would later say, “I knew this was a real opportunity for me to do great missionary work.”

During the 1960s, his organizing and participation in sit-ins and protests, to advance the civil rights movement, earned Fr. Pinder the reputation as the Orlando “street priest.” He could have also been called the “Traveling Priest” because, for several years, he served at St. James Episcopal Church in Daytona Beach, then drove the sixty plus miles to serve at St. John the Baptist in Orlando. His role in leading, mentoring, and training young people in the principles of non-violent protest during the 1960s lunch counter sit-ins are chronicled in the 2007 play “Pinder’s Kids,” written by Orlando’s local playwright, Barry G. White. Many credit his work with Orlando’s youth to have single-handedly prevented riots that racked many US cities.

In 1969, Fr. Pinder was installed as a Canon at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando, FL. He was assigned to The Awareness Center, an experimental ministry addressing the needs of the unhoused and their civil rights. Fr. Pinder served The Episcopal Church nationally as vice-chairperson of the Joint Commission on the Church in the Small Community, vice-chairperson of the National Commission on Social and Specialized Ministries, as well as the 15th National President of the Union of Black Episcopalians. He also served as the 2010-2014 Chaplain to the Order of the Daughters of the King©, Diocese of Central Florida, and as the Order’s Province IV, Assistant Chaplain. He received nearly two hundred awards and honors including Honorary Doctorate of Divinity, Virginia Theological Seminary; Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Voorhees College; Preachers Hall of Fame, Morehouse College; and is in the First Class of Florida Religious Hall of Fame. On April 9, 2010, the Pinder’s Kids monument was dedicated at Parramore Heritage Park, Orlando, FL. Fr. Pinder retired as rector of St. John the Baptist in 1995 and was later designated Rector Emeritus.

In a 2022 interview, reflecting on his career in what was one of the most segregated cities in the country, Fr. Pinder said, “So I felt that God has prepared me for this mission . . . a lot of people look

ed at me and thought I was crazy. White and Black thought I was crazy. Some of them thought I was going to be run out of town. Some of them told me you’re going to get killed. I said, you know, I’m not 33 yet. My boss was 33 when he died. I’ve got a little time yet left.”

The Rev. Canon Nelson W. Pinder died Sunday, July 10, 2022 at the age of 89.