Background
A native of Bournemouth, England, Cazares-Thomas was born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but his family left the church in his early years.
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Neil Cazares-Thomas
Edit ProfileEducation
He attended Street John's Theological College, Louisiana Saint Union and King Alfred’s College and graduated with a Bachelor.
Career
He graduated with a Doctor of Ministry degree from the San Francisco Theological Seminary in 2009 and was later appointed an adjunct professor at the Claremont School of Theology. On April 12, 2015, Cazares-Thomas was elected senior pastor by the 4,500-member congregation of the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas. Cazares-Thomas is known for his social activism, having been instrumental in developing feeding programs for the homeless, night and day shelters, safe sex initiatives, establishing relations with police, challenging discriminatory laws and providing LGBTQ youth services, including his "Over the Rainbow" initiative, a drop-in center founded during the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome pandemic offering counseling, support and information.
He has served as chaplain to the Mayor of Bournemouth, the Sanctuary (an Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome hospice), a women's refuge and five drug and alcohol rehab houses.
He is a past president of California Faith for Equality and the Los Angeles LGBTQI Clergy Council. In 1998, Cazares-Thomas was invited by Queen Elizabeth II to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in recognition of his work in the Bournemouth community.
Achievements
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In 1998, Cazares-Thomas was invited by Queen Elizabeth II to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in recognition of his work in the Bournemouth community. In June 2010, he was presented with the Harvey Milk Award and was honored by his denomination with the Ecumenical Award in July of that year.
