THE next Dean of Bangor is to be the Revd Dr Manon Ceridwen James, Canon Theologian of Newport Cathedral, the Bangor Chapter announced on Monday.
One of the recommendations of the cathedral’s recent Visitation report (News, 27 June) was that a recent Dean be appointed urgently.
Canon James, who grew up in Nefyn, on the Llyn Peninsula, has been Dean of Initial Ministerial Training at St Padarn’s Institute since 2018. She can be an creator and poet and has been involved in ministerial training within the Church in Wales since 2005. She will take up her recent role in September.
Bangor Cathedral has been and not using a Dean for the reason that Very Revd Kathy Jones left in 2021. That 12 months, the Revd Siôn Rhys Evans was appointed Sub-Dean and Canon Treasurer by the then Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Bangor, the Most Revd Andrew John. Canon Rhys Evans stopped ministering on the cathedral in March 2024 and left within the December. The first suggestion of the Visitation report was that “any future appointment to the role of Dean or Sub-Dean ought to be exclusive of other responsibilities”.
The Visitation report and a parallel safeguarding audit conducted by ThirtyOne:Eight recorded concerns about each “weak financial controls” and “inappropriate behaviours” on the cathedral.
Last month, after apologising for his part within the failings on the cathedral, and for “errors of judgement” under his episcopate, Bishop John announced his immediate retirement as Archbishop. Before this, he had asked that the recommendations of each reports be implemented in full inside three months.
This work is being carried out by an Oversight Board appointed by him and chaired by Professor Medwin Hughes, who also chairs the Representative Body (RB) of the Church in Wales. Before the Archbishop announced his retirement, the RB had agreed a motion calling for a “cultural audit” of the Church in Wales, and a “change in leadership, procedures and governance within the Diocese of Bangor” (News, 4 July). The Charity Commission, which has received a complete of six serious-incident reports on Bangor Cathedral, has launched an inquiry.
The announcement on the cathedral website of the brand new Dean says that “the appointment comes at a major time for the cathedral because it begins the means of reform and renewal following an episcopal visitation.”
The recruitment process began with a consultation with the congregation, it says, which “identified key requirements for the role, including fluency in Welsh, proven pastoral skills, spiritual maturity, and experience in governance and management. Bishop of Bangor Andrew John removed himself from the method and handed the chair to Assistant Bishop of Bangor David Morris.”
Candidates spoke with staff and volunteers from the cathedral and ministry area as a part of the method and were interviewed by a panel of eight, who reached a unanimous decision, the announcement says. An external interviewer, the Dean of Armagh, the Very Revd Shane Forster, participated “to supply additional expertise. An HR skilled was present throughout to take care of fairness and transparency within the proceedings.”
Canon James said that she was looking forward to addressing the present challenges and can be “working hard to rebuild trust” within the mission and ministry of the cathedral. “The people of Bangor, and indeed the people of the diocese who look to the cathedral as a mother church, deserve a cathedral which embodies all that is sweet concerning the city and the diocese.”
Bishop Morris said: “Manon is coming home, and she or he does so together with her vast experience and gifts.”
Canon James trained at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, was ordained deacon in 1994, and was considered one of the primary women to be ordained priest in 1997. Before ordination, she studied for a humanities degree (including religious studies, sociology, and girls’s studies) on the University of South Wales, Pontypridd. She accomplished a postgraduate certificate in adult education and theological reflection at Chester University in 2008 and was awarded a Ph.D. from Birmingham University in 2015.
She has written two books, Women, Identity and Religion in Wales: Theology, poetry, story (Books, 21 September 2018) and Notes from a Eucharistic Life (Features, 29 November 2024) (poetry). She has contributed chapters to several academic books on topics including women’s faith, Welsh identity, domestic violence, and theology. She is a contributor to the SPCK website assemblies.org.uk and has published material for varsity assemblies in two SPCK publications.
Canon James can be a daily contributor to BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Wales. In her spare time, she enjoys attending football matches and comedy events together with her husband, Dylan, who’s the Group Financial Controller at Bangor University. They also enjoy music live shows, festivals, and travelling.
