Peter Howell-Jones (born 1962) is a British

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

priest. He has been the

Dean of Blackburn The Dean of Blackburn is the head (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons, which is the ruling body of Blackburn Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the Cathedral Church of Blackburn St Mary the ...

since his installation at Blackburn Cathedral on 25 March 2017. He was previously

vice-dean {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019 A sub-dean is a person who acts as an assistant to a dean either in church circuit as a priest or minister or an academic institution. They are, however, not a vice-dean. A vice-dean is a person who can deputize a de ...

and a

residentiary canon A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek language, Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an canon law, ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a ...

of Chester Cathedral from 2011.

Early life and education

Howell-Jones was born in 1962 in Liverpool, England. He was educated at Hillfoot Hey High School, a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

in Liverpool. He trained as a singer and

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at the School of Music of Huddersfield Polytechnic, and graduated with a Bachelor of Music (BMus) degree in 1984. He then undertook teacher training at Bretton Hall College, and completed his Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in 1985. Having graduated from university and completed his teacher training, Howell-Jones worked as a music teacher. He then worked as an " impresario for a leading music tour operator". In 1990, Howell-Jones entered St John's College, Nottingham, an

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theological college, to train for

ordained ministry Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform vario ...

and to study theology. He completed his training in 1993 and left the college to begin his curacy. He continued his studies on a part-time basis and graduated from St John's College, Nottingham with a Master of Arts (MA) degree in 1996.

Ordained ministry

Howell-Jones was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1993 and as a priest in 1994. From 1993 to 1998, he served his curacy in the

Benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of Walsall St Matthew (consisting of St Matthew's Church, St Luke's Church, and St Martin's Church) in the Diocese of Lichfield. Then, from 1998 to 2005, he was Vicar of St Michael's, Boldmere,

Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, known locally as Sutton ( ), is a town and civil parish in the City of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south ...

in the Diocese of Birmingham. Since 2005, Howell-Jones's ministry has been based at one of the Church of England's

cathedrals A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

, and he has served on the executive of the

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since June 2014. From 2005 to 2011, he served as Bishop's Adviser for Mission and was a

Residentiary Canon A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek language, Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an canon law, ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a ...

of Birmingham Cathedral. He served as Acting Dean of Birmingham between the retirement of

Robert Wilkes Robert Wilkes (June 24, 1832 – August 16, 1880) was an Irish-Canadian politician and businessman. Born in Tullaghan, County Leitrim, Ireland, Wilkes came to Toronto from his native Ireland at sixteen, working as a clerk before buying a ...

and the appointment of

Catherine Ogle Catherine Ogle (born 12 May 1961) is a British Anglican priest. Since February 2017, she has been the Dean of Winchester. She was previously the Dean of Birmingham (2010–2017), and a parish priest in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds and the Dioc ...

. On 25 September 2011, he was installed as

Vice-Dean {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019 A sub-dean is a person who acts as an assistant to a dean either in church circuit as a priest or minister or an academic institution. They are, however, not a vice-dean. A vice-dean is a person who can deputize a de ...

of Chester Cathedral. As Vice-Dean, he had a number of duties "including the day-to-day oversight and running of the Cathedral, estate management, the hospitality and mission brief, and ... overseeing the restructuring and redefining of the Cathedral's business activity." On 26 November 2016, it was announced that Howell-Jones would be the next

, in succession to Christopher Armstrong. He was installed as dean during a service at Blackburn Cathedral on 25 March 2017. As Dean of Blackburn, he is 'first among equals' at Blackburn Cathedral and the senior priest of the Diocese of Blackburn.

Personal life

Howell-Jones is married to Sian. Together they have four children: two sons and two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howell-Jones, Peter 1962 births Living people 20th-century English Anglican priests 21st-century English Anglican priests Provosts and Deans of Blackburn Alumni of the University of Huddersfield Alumni of Bretton Hall College Schoolteachers from Merseyside Impresarios Alumni of St John's College, Nottingham