Honorary Canons of Worcester Cathedral Appointed

Seven new honorary Canons have been appointed at Worcester Cathedral in recognition of their work in both the diocese and the wider Church.

Appointments are made by the Bishop of Worcester in consultation with the Chapter of the Cathedral. Honorary canons form a bridge between the diocese and the Cathedral and meet to reflect and advise on the life of the Cathedral. There are a limited number of posts – Lay Canons and clergy outside the diocese hold the position for a five-year period, while clergy from the diocese remain Canons while they serve in the diocese.

The Honorary Canons installed in a service in the cathedral on 27 June were:

• The Revd Paul Bayes, National Mission and Evangelism Advisor for the Church of England.
• The Revd Ken Boyce, vicar of St. Martin and St. Peter, Worcester and Rural Dean of Worcester East

• The Revd Chris Pullin, vicar of St. John in Bedwardine, Worcester and Rural Dean of Martley and Worcester West

• The Revd David Rogers, vicar of Beoley, Redditch

• The Revd Frances Wookey, vicar of Hanley Castle, Hanley Swan and Welland and Rural Dean of Upton.

Two Honorary Lay Canons have also been appointed for a five-year period:

• Michael Huskinson, who has been the Diocesan Registrar throughout Bishop Peter's time in post.

• Margaret Sentamu in recognition of the work she has done as Senior Secretary of the Ministry Division

Father Kevin Kavanagh, Priest at St. Joseph's RC Church in Warndon and the Roman Catholic Ecumenical Officer for the Archdiocese of Birmingham and the Revd Elizabeth Welch, Moderator of the West Midlands Province of the United Reformed Church have both been appointed as Ecumenical Canons of the Cathedral.

The Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Revd Peter Selby said: "I am delighted to be able to honour the work of all these individuals by making them Canons and I know they will all bring different and very valuable contributions to the life and work of Worcester Cathedral. By making these appointments I am expressing the thanks for the whole church for the work that each does in living out their mission and ministry."

Margaret Sentamu commented: "I am honoured and delighted that Bishop Peter, together with the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral, has asked me to become a Lay Canon, in recognition of my work at the Ministry Division, over a 15-year period. I fully subscribe to the enormous contribution made to the Church of England by its laity up and down the country, and to become a lay canonry is extra special".

Michael Huskinson, the Diocesan Registrar, said: "Bishop Peter's invitation to become a Lay Canon came as a complete surprise to me and was one which I was honoured and very pleased to accept. I was appointed Diocesan Registrar and Bishop's Legal Secretary in 1992 and since then I have come greatly to enjoy and value my close association with successive Bishops of Worcester and with the diocese as a whole. I now very much look forward to establishing a similar relationship with the cathedral through being one of their Lay Canons"

Honorary Canons are distinct from Residentiary Canons who are on the staff of the Cathedral.


For more information:

Issued by Samantha Setchell, Press Officer for the Diocese of Worcester and the Bishop of Worcester. Email: ssetchell@cofe-worcester.org.uk. Tel: 07852 302516

The Diocese of Worcester is one of 44 dioceses in the Church of England. It covers an area of 671 square miles and includes parishes in the County of Worcestershire, the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, and a few parishes in northern Gloucestershire, south east Wolverhampton and Sandwell.

Diocesan Office, The Old Palace, Deansway, Worcester WR1 2JE
Tel: 01905 20537 Fax: 01905 612302