During his tenure as dean of the Cathedral of St. Andrew, the Rev. Walter Brownridge has been proudest of the Episcopal church’s activism in social justice issues.

Brownridge submitted his resignation about a month ago, citing his need to take care of family matters on the mainland, and is moving to Sewanee, Tenn., with wife Tina and son Martin.

He began serving as dean of the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii in October 2011. His last day will be Sunday. He will be honored at the 5:30 p.m. choral evensong service, which will be followed by a reception. All are invited.

“I deeply appreciate his time at the cathedral as a pastor, teacher and community activist,” said Bishop Robert L. Fitzpatrick. “He has been deeply involved in the community, being a voice for justice and care of the marginalized. He has provided the cathedral a direct connection to the worldwide Anglican Communion (including a visit by Archbishop Desmond Tutu), for which he will not be soon forgotten.”

Brownridge takes pride in a core group of members he says are “living out their faith” through campaigns to support marriage equality and push for an increase of the minimum wage, among other causes.

Regarding the matters of justice and reconciliation tied to gun violence and the Black Lives Matter movement, Brownridge said they should prompt Hawaii residents to ask, “Who are the people who are really suffering and need our attention?” “Why don’t their lives matter more?” “What can we do about it, whether it’s education or health care or housing?”

Despite Hawaii’s reputation as a place of racial harmony, Brownridge said, “I think there is, here, a great deal of racial and ethnic stratification. Recent immigrants to this state, from Micronesia, as an example … they’re still stratified in the lower levels of society.”

Brownridge continued, “What I appreciate about Hawaii is the spirit of aloha.” When truly embodied, it allows people of different backgrounds to come together, he said. “Maybe Hawaii is an example to the mainland, and maybe that’s also part of Hawaii’s special calling — to be a beacon and to teach others how to get along.”

Hawaii residents have repeatedly demonstrated how moved they have been by the killings on the mainland at prayer vigils at St. Andrew’s and other places, Brownridge said.

For example, a vigil was held at St. Andrew’s last year in the wake of the shooting deaths of nine black people by a white supremacist in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C.

In a story that appeared in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on July 13, 2015, Brownridge described the vigil as “an act of solidarity for us to be with the people in Charleston. We’re thousands of miles away, and I’ve had people come up to me with tears in their eyes to talk about how they feel about this.”