College of Minor Canons

The College of Minor Canons at St Paul's was granted a Royal Charter in 1394, but had probably been in existence some time before that date.

The College was formed, after confirmation by Pope Urban IV, to serve the general purposes of the cathedral; but, in particular, to ensure that the daily worship was conducted with regularity and dignity. Today there are three Minor Canons, who remain a College (presided over by the Warden) with their main task still being the ordering of regular worship and the many special services which take place in the cathedral throughout the year.

The Minor Canons have particular areas of specialist responsibility (ceremonial, pastoral and musical) though much of their ministry is shared and overlaps in many respects. They are responsible for the singing of the choral services. As priests of the cathedral, they share a full part in celebrating the Eucharist, preaching, officiating at marriages and baptisms, and providing pastoral care and support to staff and visitors alike. The Minor Canons are responsible for the content and production of orders of service, and work closely with the other departments of the cathedral, especially the organists and virgers. They work with a wide range of people from different churches and organisations in the preparation of special services, helping them to articulate their hopes and intentions in liturgical and ceremonial form.

The Reverend Jason Rendell, Sacrist

Jason came to St Paul's in June 2007, after serving at the Bishop of Stepney's PA and Chaplain for the previous three years. Prior to that he was a Franciscan Friar for thirteen years with the Society of Saint Francis, gaining much experience, developing many new skills and working in parish ministry in Liverpool and London. Jason's home is in South Wales, Newport, where he trained in the catering industry before studying in Durham.


As Sacrist of the cathedral, Jason has particular responsibilities for the co-ordination of the cathedral's daily liturgy and ceremonial. He works closely with the Virgers department and has responsibility for the volunteer servers and the Lay Communion Assistants as well as working with the other Minor Canons on the daily services and liturgical events in the cathedral. The Reverend Andrew Hammond, Succentor
Andrew Hammond was ordained in 2007 to serve as Curate of St John's Wood in London. Before that he had worked in the world of classical music - first as an opera singer, culminating in three years as a principal baritone at Scottish Opera; he then moved into management, including stints with the Edinburgh International Festival and the European Union Youth Orchestra. He has degrees in Philosophy and Theology (Cambridge) and studied singing at the Royal Academy of Music, London.