Clergyman will be new Dean of Canterbury
Late Queen makes appointment of Fermanagh Dean before death
THE new Dean of Canterbury will be Fermanagh born clergyman, The Very Reverend Dr. David Monteith.
It was announced this week that Her Late Majesty The Queen approved the nomination of The Very Reverend Dr. David Monteith, Dean of Leicester, for election as Dean of Canterbury.
David grew up in Irvinestown and was a member of the congregation of Derryvullan North Parish Church.
‘Overjoyed’
Commenting on his new appointment, Dean David said: “I am overjoyed and humbled to be entrusted with this opportunity for learning and service. Canterbury Cathedral has played a vital part in our Christian story in England but it is also much loved by so many communities across the Anglican Communion.
“So I already can see there is much to steward and much to imagine anew as our context reshapes. I have been a priest for many years but I also bring my experience of growing up in the Church of Ireland during the Northern Irish ‘Troubles’.
“I’m looking forward to working with Archbishop Justin, Bishop Rose, the Cathedral Chapter and her communities to ensure our worship inspires, our prayer undergirds, our outreach transforms us and others, and our witness reveals more of God’s expansive Kingdom of love, mercy and peace.
“I hope hospitality in the name of Jesus Christ and profound openness to the entire wider community will mark all we offer especially as we face this challenging time of rising costs and human hardship.”
The Dean shares his life in a Civil Partnership with David Hamilton, a palliative care and bereavement counsellor. He said: “My partner, David, and I have had a place in Whitstable for over 20 years and so we already know Kent well. We are both looking forward to getting to know further the varied communities of the county as well as getting to the seaside more often.”
Ordained in 1994
Dean David later moved to England for University where he attended St John’s College, Durham, and trained for ministry at St John’s College, Nottingham.
He was ordained a Priest in the Church of England (Cofe) in 1994 and his ministry has taken him all over England including the Diocese of London, the Diocese of Birmingham and his current Diocese, the Diocese of Leicester.
He took up his current role as Dean of Leicester in 2013.
This ministry has included the re-interment of King Richard III in 2015, and the current major redevelopment project, ‘Leicester Cathedral Revealed’, which secures and equips the cathedral for worship, witness and welcome for the next 100 years.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws in 2016, from the University of Leicester, which acknowledges his role in the community.
He currently chairs the College of Deans for the Church of England.
Welcoming Dean David’s appointment, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby said: “I’m delighted by David’s appointment as Dean of Canterbury. He has been an exceptional Dean of Leicester – and his deep faith and spirituality, creativity, and profound sense of service will be a gift to Canterbury Cathedral and all the communities it serves.
“We will benefit greatly from David’s experience and perspective, not least from his work in helping diverse faiths and cultural communities to live well together. I share his vision of a Canterbury Cathedral that blesses and serves the people of Canterbury, the Church of England and the global Anglican Communion. I look forward to working with David and I join many in praying for him over the coming months,” He concluded.
The Very Reverend Dr. David Monteith will be installed as Dean of Canterbury at a service in Canterbury Cathedral on Saturday, December 17.