St Paul's prepares for the installation of its new Dean

Tomorrow (25 May), St Paul’s Cathedral will welcome the Very Revd Dr David Ison, as its new Dean.

Special readings, music and Dr Ison’s first sermon as Dean of St Paul’s will be the highlights of a service of welcome and celebration.

Many members of Dr Ison’s congregation from West Yorkshire, where he has been Dean of Bradford, will travel to St Paul’s to support him at the start of his new work in the capital. 

The Dean Designate will be led into the Cathedral by the Bishop of Bradford, Nick Baines and the Chapter of Bradford Cathedral. The Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres, will be joined by the Chapter of St Paul’s and many civic and community leaders from the City of London.

Prayers will be led by The Reverend Sarah Eynstone, Minor Canon and Chaplain; Maurice Sills, Cathedral Volunteer; Ade Williams, Member of the Cathedral Roll and Nikki Lovell of the St Paul’s Cathedral School.

Brought up in Brentwood, Essex, David went to university in Leicester and theological college in Nottingham, and was ordained aged 24 as a curate in Deptford, south-east London, where he was engaged in inner-city ministry and studied for a PhD in early church history.

After a further three years as a tutor at the Church Army training college in Blackheath, he became vicar of Potters Green, a parish on a housing estate in Coventry.

Experience in theological training led in 1993 to work in Exeter in theological training for ordinands and clergy, and from 1995 he was Residentiary Canon at Exeter Cathedral with particular responsibility for the library. In 2005 David became Dean of Bradford with the task of rebuilding the cathedral’s ministry and mission.

David and Hilary married in 1977 while both in training for ministry. Hilary has been a parish minister, hospice chaplain, college tutor and consultant to organisations, and is currently a Selection Secretary working at Church House, Westminster. They have raised two daughters and two sons, and will be sharing life at St Paul’s with two grandchildren and a kit car.

Dean Ison succeeds The Right Reverend Graeme Knowles who resigned from the post last year.