A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. It is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. A cleric is: A member of the clergy of a religion, especially one that has trained or ordained priests, preachers, or other religious professionals; or A member of a character class in Dungeons & Dragons and similar fantasy role-playing games. ... The Anglican Communion uses the compass rose as its symbol, signifying its worldwide reach and decentralized nature. ... The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ...

Anglican Communion

In the Church of England and elsewhere in the Anglican Communion, the dean is the chief resident cleric of a cathedral or other collegiate church and the head of the chapter of canons. If the cathedral or collegiate church has its own parish, the dean is usually also rector of the parish. However, in the Church of Ireland the roles are often separated, and most cathedrals in the Church of England and Church in Wales do not have associated parishes. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... The Anglican Communion uses the compass rose as its symbol, signifying its worldwide reach and decentralized nature. ... A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Anglican, Catholic and some Lutheran churches, which serves as the central church of a diocese, and thus as a bishops seat. ... A collegiate church was a church served and administered by a body of canons or prebendaries, similar to a cathedral, although they were not the seat of a bishop. ... This article incorporates text from the Catholic Encyclopedia, which is in the public domain. ... The word rector (ruler, from the Latin regere) has a number of different meanings. ... Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (Irish: Eaglais na hÉireann) is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating seamlessly across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... Flag of the Church in Wales The Church in Wales (Welsh: Yr Eglwys Yng Nghymru) is a member Church of the Anglican Communion, consisting of six dioceses in Wales. ...

In some parts of the Communion (particularly in the Scottish Episcopal Church and, formerly in some cathedrals in England), the senior resident cleric in a cathedral is a provost. Each diocese of the Scottish Episcopal Church has a dean of the diocese, this is a cleric who, rather than heading the cathedral staff, assists the bishop in the administration of the diocese. In this way, a Scottish Episcopalian dean is similar to an archdeacon in the other member churches of the Communion (a post that does not exist in the Scottish church). In the Anglican Church of Canada, the roles of senior cleric of the cathedral are combined in one person who is referred to as "Rector of Cathedral and Dean of Diocese". Thus, Peter Elliott is Rector of Christ Church Cathedral and Dean of New Westminster. The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... A mitre is used as a symbol of the bishops ministry. ... An archdeacon is a senior position in some Christian churches, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. ... Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (the ACC) is the Canadian branch of the Anglican Communion. ... The Very Rev. ... Christ Church Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral in Vancouver, British Columbia; one of two cathedrals in the Diocese of New Westminster. ... The Diocese of New Westminster is an Anglican Church of Canada diocese in British Columbia, based in Vancouver. ...

The style The Very Reverend distinguishes a cleric as a dean (or a cathedral provost). For example, the Very Reverend June Osborne is Dean of Salisbury Cathedral. The Very Reverend is a style given to certain religious figures. ... Salisbury Cathedral in the early morning light. ...

Some important deans include the deans of St Paul's, the Canterbury and Westminster Abbey. Westminster Abbey is a royal peculiar, not the seat of any bishop or a cathedral, but is led by a dean. The deans Washington National Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin are likewise important clerics in their churches. The Dean of St Pauls is the head of the Chapter of St Pauls Cathedral in London, England and an extremely influential position in the Church of England. ... The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral in England. ... The Abbeys western façade The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, which is almost always referred to as Westminster Abbey, is a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral (and indeed often considered one), in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. ... A Royal Peculiar (or Royal Peculier) is a place of worship that falls directly under the jurisdiction of the British monarch, rather than a diocese. ... Washington National Cathedral was the site of two presidential state funerals: for Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald W. Reagan, and a presidential burial in the cathedral mausoleum: Woodrow Wilson. ... St. ...

In many parts of the Anglican Communion, parishes are grouped together to form deaneries, each being a constituent administrative district of the diocese. Usually, a deanery is led by one of the incumbents of the deanery's parishes, who is called a rural dean, but in more urban areas this has often been replaced by the title area dean or regional dean. Such a dean chairs the meeting of the deanery's clergy (which, like a cathedral, is called a chapter), and may also chair a deanery synod. Rural deans (and those known by alternative titles) rank as primi inter pares of their chapters, and do not have the seniority of cathedral or diocesan deans. A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... In the Church of England and Roman Catholic Church, a deanery is a collection of parishes within an archdeaconry. ... First among equals is a phrase which indicates that a person is the most senior of a group of people sharing the same rank or office. ...

The head of an Anglican theological college or seminary may also be called a dean (in common with its use in education). A seminary is a specialized university-like institution for the purpose of instructing students (seminarians) in theology, often in order to prepare them to become members of the clergy. ... A seminary is a specialized university-like institution for the purpose of instructing students (seminarians) in theology, often in order to prepare them to become members of the clergy. ... In an educational setting, a dean is a person with significant authority . ...

Catholic Church

The title "dean" is conferred upon a the pastor of a parish who serves as a senior figure, though usually without specific jurisdictional authority, over a section of a diocese. These are sometimes referred to as "rural deans," and are expected to show a degree of leadership among the pastors of the region, known as a deanery. This function is sometimes titled vicar forane. An episcopal vicar serves a similar function, but has more formal authority and specific powers under Canon Law. Apostolic vicariate is a type of Roman Catholic diocese for non-Catholic or missionary regions and countries. ... A vicar general is an ecclesiastical office in the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church existing in each particular church. ...

In recent years, the Catholic Church in England and Wales has introduced the custom of designating Cathedral Deans, formally known as Cathedral Administrators. However, the term differs slightly from the Anglican usage as Catholic Deans do not necessarily preside over the cathedral chapter (this function belonging to the office of Provost), and are not necessarily required even to be a member of the chapter. More commonly, in places throughout the world where a cathedral chapter has not been erected (as for instance, in the United States, where there are no chapters at all), the term Rector is used for the priest who serves as chief administrator of a cathedral church. The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ... Provost is from the Latin praepositus (set over, from praeponere, to place in front). It may mean: Provost (religion), a church official. ... The word rector (ruler, from the Latin regere) has a number of different meanings. ...

Another important use of the term within the Catholic Church is in the office of the Dean of the College of Cardinals, who serves as senior member of that body. Cardinal Angelo Sodano is the current dean. The Dean of the College of Cardinals is the president of the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church and as such is always a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church of the episcopal order. ... Cardinal Sodano with Condoleezza Rice. ...

See also

• Dean (education)
• Dean