The new Dean of York has been officially installed at a Minster service.
The Right Reverend Dr Jonathan Frost, formerly Bishop of Southampton, succeeds the Very Reverend Dr Vivienne Faull who was consecrated Bishop of Bristol last July.
He became the 76th Dean of York at a service of Choral Evensong on Saturday (February 2).
In the first of three ceremonies, the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, collated and licensed Jonathan for his ministry as Dean.
Admitted to the Chapter
The second ceremony took place in the Chapter House. In an ancient ritual dating back to the Middle Ages, Jonathan was admitted as a member of Chapter, the Minster’s governing body.
Letters from the Queen were read and oaths were sworn on the 1,000-year-old York Gospels.
Jonathan was formally received into the Chapter of York by the Canon-in-Residence, the Revd Canon Michael Smith. He was then placed in his seat by the Revd Canon Peter Moger, Acting Dean of York, at which point Jonathan officially became Dean of York.
The final ceremony took place at the end of a procession into Evensong when Jonathan was placed in his stall in the Minster’s Quire. Jonathan then emerged from the Quire into the Minster’s Nave where he was formally presented to the congregation as Dean of York.
The new Dean of York acknowledges the Altar for the first time pic.twitter.com/oZfMfiWbE7
— York Minster (@York_Minster) February 2, 2019
Jonathan’s daughter Hannah read one of the bible passages. Representatives from the City of York, the County of North Yorkshire, the Church of England’s Northern Province and members of the Minster’s community and staff also took part in the service.
Following the sermon by the Archbishop of York, prayers were read by students from four local schools: the Minster School; Archbishop Holgate’s School; Manor Church of England Academy and St Peter’s School.
Commenting on his new role, Dean Jonathan said:
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I am honoured to have been called to serve in this beautiful place. I have received a very warm and generous welcome and I look forward to serving the community, the city and the wider diocese of York.
Biography of the Dean
Jonathan represented the Suffragan Bishops of the Province of Canterbury at General Synod.
Prior to his Southampton years, Jonathan was Anglican Chaplain at the University of Surrey, Residentiary Canon at Guildford Cathedral and the Bishop of Guildford’s Adviser for Inter-faith Relations.
He previously served as a parish priest in Ash and in Nottingham where he was also police chaplain.
Jonathan co-founded Love Southampton, an initiative which involved churches partnering with Southampton City Council on a number of projects for the common good.
Jonathan is a graduate of the Universities of Aberdeen, Nottingham and Surrey.
Jonathan is married to Christine and they have three grown-up children, Hannah, Ben and Jake.
Dean Frost and the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu during the ceremony. Photograph: Duncan Lomax / Ravage Photography