WHAT IS A DEAN?

A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority

within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion

and the Catholic Church.

In the Church of England and elsewhere in the Anglican Communion, including

the Episcopal Church in the U.S., the dean is the chief resident cleric of a

cathedral or other collegiate church.

The style The Very Reverend (or Rev.) distinguishes a cleric as a dean. Grace

Cathedral’s dean, therefore, is referred to as Very Rev. Dr. Jane Shaw.

He or she is also the head of the chapter of canons, comprised of senior level

clergy and lay staff members. At Grace Cathedral, chapter is the executive staff

of Grace Cathedral and is responsible for ongoing mission and ministry working

with members of the congregation, its Board of Trustees and Congregation

Council. The chapter also serves as a council of advice for the dean.

If the cathedral or collegiate church has its own parish, the dean may also be

rector of the parish. While Grace Cathedral has a resident congregation, Dr.

Shaw is not referred to as a rector.

In addition to Dr. Shaw, Grace Cathedral’s eighth dean, important deans include

the deans at Washington National Cathedral and St. John the Divine in New

York. In England, other important deans include those at St. Paul’s, Canterbury

Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Salisbury Cathedral (where Dr. Shaw serves as

Canon Theologian) and Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford (where Dr. Shaw is an

honorary canon).

Grace Cathedral’s first dean, the Very Rev. J. Wilmer Gresham was installed in

1910 and lead for nearly three decades, to 1939. Under Dean Gresham’s

leadership, the cathedral’s construction commenced with the laying of the

cornerstone in 1910. The Very Rev. Alan Jones, the cathedral’s seventh dean,

served from 1984 to 2009.

To note: The head of an Anglican theological college or seminary may also be

called a dean, in common with its use in education.