Susan Marjory Brown (born 12 December 1958) is a Scottish

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister. She is the minister at

Dornoch Cathedral Dornoch Cathedral is a former Roman Catholic cathedral and is currently a Church of Scotland parish church serving the small Sutherland town of Dornoch, in the Scottish Highlands. As a congregation of the Church of Scotland, which is Presbyteria ...

and Honorary Chaplain to the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. She was the first woman to take charge of a cathedral in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Early life and education

Brown was born on 12 December 1958 in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Scotland. She was educated at

Penicuik High School Penicuik ( ; sco, Penicuik; gd, Peighinn na Cuthaig) is a town and former burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. It lies on the A701 midway between Edinburgh and Peebles, east of the Pentland Hills. N ...

, a non-denominational school in Midlothian. She went on to study at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree in 1981 and completing a Diploma in Ministry (DipMin) in 1983.

Ministry

Brown served as an assistant minister at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh from 1983 to 1985. Having been ordained in 1985, she served as minister of Killearnan Parish Church near

Muir of Ord Muir of Ord ( gd, Am Blàr Dubh) is a village in Easter Ross, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is situated near the western end of the Black Isle, about west of the city of Inverness and south of Dingwall. The village has a populati ...

Ross-Shire Ross-shire (; gd, Siorrachd Rois) is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting of ...

from 1985 to 1998. Since 1998, she has been minister of

in Sutherland. She officiated at the wedding of Madonna and

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter. His work includes British gangster films, and the ''Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes'' films starring Robert Downey Jr. Ritchi ...

in 2000. She has additionally served as Chaplain-in-Ordinary to Queen Elizabeth II since 2010. On 9 October 2017, it was announced that she had been nominated as the next

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

. She took up the position in May 2018 and served until May 2019.

Personal life

In 1981, Susan Attwell married Derek Brown, a fellow minister and hospital chaplain. Together they have two children: one daughter and one son.

References

20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Living people 1958 births Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland People educated at Penicuik High School 21st-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Chaplains-in-Ordinary Alumni of the University of Edinburgh {{UK-Christian-clergy-stub

Early life and education

Ministry

Personal life

See also

References