It was announced from 10 Downing Street on 19 April that the Queen had approved the nomination of The Revd Canon Dr Jeffrey John as the next Dean of St Albans. Canon Jeffery John, who is also to be Rector of the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Albans, is currently Chancellor and Canon Theologian of Southwark Cathedral.
He succeeds the Very Revd Christopher Lewis, who became Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, last October, after nine years as Dean of St Albans.
The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Christopher Herbert, said: "I warmly welcome this appointment. Jeffrey John has a well-deserved reputation for being a good, caring pastor.
"He is an intelligent, courageous priest who will follow a long line of superb Deans of St Albans and will bring to the Abbey a wide range of gifts. He is a man of prayer, a preacher and teacher of real authority and grace."
Canon Jeffery John said: "I am honoured to be appointed Dean of St Albans, and am grateful to the Crown and to the Bishop of St Albans for placing such a degree of confidence in me.
"The Cathedral is a wonderful and holy place. I will be proud to be part of it, and hope I can help further its work and witness."
Canon Stephen Lake, Acting Dean of St Albans, said: "We are delighted to have a new Dean. I am sure the Abbey community will welcome Canon John. We look forward to sharing in this new ministry, in this unique place."
The date for Jeffrey John's installation as Dean has yet to be finalised, but is likely to be during the autumn.
As Dean of St Albans, Jeffrey John will be responsible for the overall leadership of the life of the Cathedral, including worship, education, mission and service to the community.
In the post of Rector, for which the Bishop of St Albans has the patronage, Jeffrey John has pastoral oversight of the parish and the thriving Cathedral congregation.
Jeffrey John was born in the South Wales mining village of Tonyrefail in 1953. After a 'chapel' upbringing and several teenage years away from the church, he was confirmed as an Anglican at 18 years old.
His calling to the ordained ministry grew while he was reading Classics and Modern Languages at Oxford, and he went on to read Theology and prepare for ordination. Following ordination, and a curacy in South Wales, he spent 11 more years at Oxford, at Brasenose and Magdalen colleges, combining theological research and teaching with pastoral work as a chaplain.
Jeffrey John was appointed Vicar of Holy Trinity, Eltham, in 1992 and, six years later, became a Canon at Southwark Cathedral and co-ordinator of training for the diocese. His role has included setting up a range of new courses, including post-ordination training and continuing ministerial education.
Jeffrey John's main hobby is learning and reading foreign languages.
Note to Editors:
St Albans Cathedral
Last August, the historic Shrine of Saint Alban in St Albans Cathedral was named as one of the UK's top five spiritual places in a poll carried out by the BBC. The Shrine to England's first Christian martyr came fourth in the poll conducted on the BBC's website and by post. The Cathedral and Abbey Church of Saint Alban is situated in the centre of the city of St Albans overlooking the site of the Roman city of Verulamium, now a public park.
The Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of St Albans and serves the people of the counties of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, the Borough of Luton and parts of the London Borough of Barnet.
St Albans Cathedral is also a parish church with a large and active congregation and the Dean is the Rector of the Parish of St Albans Abbey. The Cathedral is known for its close links with other Christian Churches. Roman Catholic, Free Church, Lutheran and Russian Orthodox congregations hold regular services, and the four honorary ecumenical chaplains take a full part in the life of the Cathedral.
The Cathedral is also celebrated for its musical tradition and for its education centre which hosts visits by more than 13,000 school children each year.
History
The Cathedral commemorates Saint Alban, first British martyr, who died for his faith on the site of the present building in the third century. The site has seen 1750 years of continuous Christian worship.
King Offa of Mercia founded a Benedictine monastery on the site in 793AD. Between 1077 and 1115 the Normans built a great Abbey Church, much of which still remains, using recycled Roman bricks from the ruined city of Verulamium. In the early medieval period the monastery was designated premier abbey of England and often hosted royal visitors. Nicholas Breakspeare, who had been educated at the Abbey School became the only English pope as Adrian IV in 1154. Matthew Paris the celebrated 13th century historian and artist was a monk of St Albans Abbey.
In 1539 the Abbey was dissolved by King Henry VIII and the Abbey buildings with the exception of the abbey church and gatehouse were destroyed. The Abbey Church became just a huge parish church, the maintenance of which was beyond the capabilities of the small local population. After three centuries of decline the Victorian period saw several major restoration campaigns and in 1877 the old Abbey Church became the cathedral for the newly created Diocese of St Albans. The town of St Albans which had developed as a market town outside the Abbey gates was consequently created a city.
Relevant websites:
http://www.stalbanscathedral.org.uk
http://www.stalbans.anglican.org
More information:
St Albans Diocesan Communications Officer:
Peter Crumpler: 01727 869506 or 01727 854532