St. Peter’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg has announced that the dean of the cathedral, the Very Rev. Russell Johnson, will retire, leaving his post as early as this summer.

In a letter to parishioners, Senior Warden Sheree Graves and Junior Warden Jim Stewart said Johnson’s health prompted the decision. Johnson suffered a heart attack a year ago and his family history would suggest caution. “Genetics are not on Russell’s side,” they wrote, “the men in his family do not live ling lives; and he wants some time with Judith while they are both still in good health.”

Previously, Johnson had planned to stay on until May 2009. He has moved up the official date to Jan. 1, 2009 and the parish has offered a pre-retirement sabbatical which will begin around July 1 of this year, the letter said.

The cathedral will also continue to pay his health insurance until August 2009, when he turns 65.

Johnson came to St. Peter’s in the spring of 2004, and successfully completed a capital fund drive to bring a decade-old expansion project to reality. The cathedral in December began tearing down two buildings in order to build a new complex with 18,000 square feet of office and meeting space.

“Under Russell’s leadership St. Peter’s has become a place of stability, peace and progress,” the letter said. “Russell has truly made our congregation a safe place for an increasingly diverse congregation to explore our relationships with God. He has supported and encouraged the lay leadership, a unique demonstration of courage and trust. And on a personal level, Russell and Judith have showered us with their love, good humor, hospitality and generosity. They are beloved friends who will always have a place in our hearts.”

The cathedral is currently in conversation with Bishop Dabney Smith about appointing a priest-in-charge while the search process to find a new dean gets underway.