Updated Wednesday
Monday 18 May 2009
Canonry of St Paul’s CathedralThe Queen has approved that the Reverend Canon Giles Anthony Fraser, MA, PhD, Team Rector of St Mary’s Putney, in the diocese of Southwark and Honorary Canon of Sefwi-Wiawso, Ghana, be appointed to a Residentiary Canonry of St Paul’s Cathedral in succession to the Reverend Canon Edmund John Newell, BSc (Econ), DPhil, MA, FRHistS.
Notes for the Editors
The Reverend Dr Fraser (aged 45), was educated first at Newcastle University and then at Oxford University. He studied for his PhD at Lancaster University. He trained for the ministry at Ripon College. His first curacy was at Streetly, in the Lichfield diocese from 1993 to 1997. From 1997 to 2000 he was a curate at St Mary Virgin with St Cross and St Peter, in Oxford diocese, and was also Chaplain at Wadham College Oxford. From 2000 to 2004 he was Vicar at St Mary’s Putney in the diocese of Southwark before becoming Team Rector in 2004. Since 2009 he has been Honorary Canon at Sefwi-Wiawso in Ghana.
Dr Fraser is married to Sally and they have three children. His interests are golf and cooking.
And from the Diocese of London:
Giles Fraser becomes Canon Chancellor at St Paul’s
18/05/09The Revd Dr Giles Fraser, currently Vicar of Putney in the Diocese of Southwark, is to be the next Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral.
As Canon Chancellor, Dr Fraser will oversee the work of the St Paul’s Institute for ethics, and its ambitious, outward-facing programme. He will play a full part in the life of the cathedral and will contribute to its overall mission as a place of prayer, pilgrimage and debate.
Dr Fraser (45) was educated at Newcastle and Oxford before being ordained into the Oxford Diocese in 1993. He worked as a parish priest and chaplain in Oxford until 2000 when he moved to Putney in south London.
In recent years, he has developed a reputation for facing difficult issues head on in his weekly column in the Church Times and as a regular presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. He is the author and co-author of several books.
A passionate Anglican, he is regarded as a priest with a rare ability to identify those issues which non church goers find off-putting and to engage in debate with them.
The Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres said:
“The St Paul’s Institute is one of the most exciting aspects of the developing ministry of St Paul’s Cathedral. Giles Fraser brings imagination, energy and wide experience to this crucial educational task.”
The Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, Rt Revd Graeme Knowles said that he was delighted that Dr Fraser is to join the team at St Paul’s:
“This appointment will add a new dimension to the life of the cathedral and we look forward to working collaboratively with Giles as the newest member of Chapter.”
Dr Fraser said:
“I am hugely excited about working at St Paul’s. The church in general, and St Paul’s in particular, has a significant role in public debate. I am looking forward to joining a great team and playing my part in such an exciting place.”
Dr Fraser is expected to leave Putney during the summer and be ready for his new ministry at St Paul’s later this autumn.
Update
This event is now reported on the website of the cathedral itself, but because the news items there do not appear in date order (newest item should be at the top – the new item is in fact undated!) it is easily missed:
Giles Fraser becomes Canon Chancellor
The Revd Dr Giles Fraser, currently Vicar of Putney in the Diocese of Southwark, is to be the next Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral.
St Paul’s is run by the Dean and Chapter which includes men and women as Residentiary canons with various portfolios. They represent the whole working life of one of the world’s best known Cathedral churches.
As Canon Chancellor, Dr Fraser will fulfil the role of Residentiary Canon overseeing the work of the St Paul’s Institute for ethics, and its ambitious, outward-facing programme. He will play a full part in the life of the cathedral and will contribute to its overall mission as a place of prayer, pilgrimage and debate…
What’s the job description and the person specification?
What a wonderful thing, congrats are definitely in order!
Congratulations!
What a splendid appointment. Thank you Giles, for being willing to ‘have a go’. Best wishes from an old style prophetic voice. UnaKroll
congratulations! I am only slightly disappointed I was not appointed but I will suck it up and soldier on – seriously, best wishes
BRAVO! Imagine, SANITY begins to return to the Mother Church!
This is very good news, though I’m sure the people of Putney will miss him.
Congratulations, Giles!
Makes no difference.. Canon Chancellor or Dean… no pro-gays are going to be consecrated in the Church of England. Time the liberals faced up to this reality, only safe pairs of hands are to be chosen. The days of Richard Harries etc are over.
The liberal “catholics” have had their day… thanks to the Sugden alliance.
Great appointment and prayers for Giles.
A worthy successor to Harold Wilson (not Iscariot) who was much loved and died too soon.
Harold’s lovely home in Amen Court was a haven for so many – does it still come with the job?
Congratulations Canon Giles Fraser. Good to know Her Majesty The Queen and her advisors recognise quality when they see it. You are quite young yet, Giles, but Canterbury could not be too far away. You’d be a good successor to Rowan. AVE!
Oh, and just out of interest, the St Paul’s website is silent on the subject!
Kudos & Mazel Tov!
Heart-felt congratulations and greetings from Texas.
“The liberal “catholics” have had their day… thanks to the Sugden alliance.” Robert Williams – Robert, you obviously have not been following what happened at the meetings of ACC-14. Mr Sugden and Co. suffered quite a humiliating defeat there, in their attempt to bully the Communion into the ‘new conservatism’. “God works in a mysterious way, God’s wonders to perform”. And Giles’ preferment may just be that small step forward that the wider Church is looking for. How does the preferment situation in the C.of E. compare with that of your own lot in the Roman Catholic Church, by the… Read more »
Congratulations to Giles. This is good news which seems to belie Ian’s comment – at least let’s hope so.
It’s worth noting that this position was advertised, shortlisted and interviewed. So Giles was selected as best amongst a field of candidates. Even more worthy of congratulations, therefore.
Also, perhaps in this case there really was a ‘level playing field’, for once.
If any should still be in doubt of the skewed nature of some of the conservative “Christian” blogs, they should check out the headline that Stand Firm are proffering for the edification of the faithful: “Fraser rewarded for denying the Atonement with Plum Job at St Paul’s Cathedral.”
Yes Lister – and advertising the post makes a change. Martin Warner and Lucy Winkett – although good enough in their ways were appointed on a whim and without transparency. This meant better candidates were not even considered, and in the case of Lucy it has crippled her ministry through a huge lack of experience in a non Cathedral work. But it is not too late for her to do a job in a less precious setting. Great news about Giles Fraser.
ps – in the light of Parliament opening up its secretive ways, does anybody know what Canons of St Paul’s are now paid? The last I heard was about 5 years ago when the rumour was £45,000 per annum in addition to lovely Amen Court palatial homes. Is it over £50,000 by now? Or perhaps even higher?
“What’s the job description and the person specification?”
Pluralist, you wouldn’t understand.
Thank you all for so many warm comments. I am really touched. (And for information Neil, the stipend at St Paul’s has now come in line with all the other residentiary canons in the C of E. So I expect its about half what you guessed.)
Probably I wouldn’t understand.
Meanwhile, best wishes to Giles Fraser and someone who understands tell him not to shout the happy outcome too much in the gallery.
The fact is that whilst you are congratulating Canon Fraser, Rowan Williams has made the appointment of liberal bishops who support homosexuality an impossibility in the Church of England.
That is the significant fact that you should be debating…
In so far as Chris Sugden and Dr Giddings achieved this, they have flavoured the C of E for years to come.
He’s not kosher enough.
How delightful to have SUCH good news from “across the pond!” CONGRATULATIONS … to St. Paul’s … and to Giles!
Giles, congratulations and good luck!
Ah StandFirm, not that hard to predict, eh? If Canon Fraser’s appointment was in some part due, to his visiting the dubious theological claims of penal sub atonement, then bravo. There is plenty going on in Jesus incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection; but little of it gets through the PSA lenses, alas. PSA was Never the only possible salvation theory anyways. To the extent that this appointment signals some holding up of big tent issues, and therefore pushing back against strictly conservative realignment (per Sugden and company?), then I must also thank God for the push back to global big tent… Read more »
The Job Description and Person Specification for this job will have been sent to all who enquired when it was advertised (perhaps Giles still has the electronic versions) in e.g. the Church Times. Nothing strange in all this: Cathedral residentiary canonries are now all advertised in this way, even the ones which, like this one, are royal appointments.
Great News. I hope that Giles will continue to write for the Guardian, Church Times and other journals and will continue to be as provocative as before.
I’m surprised things are so transparent now – but being the same as other canons is a step in the right direction…and half what I imagined would be about 25 – 26K pa
Sending Congratulations from Vermont.
So you’ll be working along side the super cool
Canon Lucy Winkett (whom I met after a talk she gave on women’s ordination in the CofE at St Ann’s, Soho, about 10 years ago)!
Congratulations, Giles, from your friends in the other London (Canada)!
“That is the significant fact that you should be debating…” Robert Williams – But we don’t need to Robert. You seem to be doing a good job of that for us. Thank goodness that such matters in the C.of E. may now be determined more closely in line with what God wants, and not what the conservative movers and shakers (Sugden et al) would prefer. Good Luck Robert, with similar appointments in your own Roman Catholic hierarchy. Maybe by now they might have got the message: that the Church is meant to be Inclusive, rather than the preserve of the… Read more »
Ron Smith…..are you HONESTLY speaking for God? Are you really suggesting that those who oppose your views do not have communion with him?
I find your words frightening….for the assurance that God speaks with our own voice and confirms our own prejudices is the first step to huneris and destruction.
Ok so Giles got the job. Good, well done him. But do not use this event as evidence that God is backing your cause my friend, that is wicked and more skewed than anything I have read on any blog.
“…But do not use this event as evidence that God is backing your cause my friend…”
However, it is OK if Orthodites do it, because then it is incontrovertible proof of the righteousness of their cause!
Thankyou Dah.veed! I couldn’t have said better myself.
And, Fr.Ed., the main opposition to gays in the Church is based on your idea that your puritan understanding is more in keeping with what God wants. Are gays not entitled to feel the same – about their understanding of what God may want?
It is, after all, a matter of pure perception -“We speak of that which we know, and therefore can justify”. (paraphrased)
Ron, why are you bringing up the gay issue? Is it because you feel comfortable that it will give you public sympathy over me or do you have an obsession? For the record if you are insistent that anyone supporting the belief that God calling for sexual fidelity outside of marriage is puritan. Fine then I am puritan. So is the Holy Father, Mother T, S, Ignatius, S. Ambrose, Brother Roger, Vincent Nichols…and all major Christians in East and West… ..save a handful of complete radicals including you. Ok that is fine by me, If you want to follow a… Read more »
“For the record if you are insistent that anyone supporting the belief that God calling for sexual fidelity outside of marriage is puritan. Fine then I am puritan.” Fr. Ed
Your case would be stronger, Ed, if you supported gay marriage. Otherwise, it seems, well, Puritan.
Commenters whose comments are not published, and who have not supplied a valid email address should not expect a reply to their queries…
Congratulations Giles
Remember that unconditioal protection of the institution does not gain favours with God. God knows when and where there is abuse, and there is no white-washing before God.
May you be the heralding of a juster form of Christianity that recalls it is answerable to a God that makes provision for all souls.
“If you want to follow a religion that sways with the wind of public feelings and is changeable by man…go ahead. I wish you well but at least have the courage to acknowledge it as .” But “mainstream Christianity” is just as guilty of “sway(ing) with the wind of public opinion”. Can you look back over the past 2000 years and point out a time when we DIDN’T sway with the wind of public opinion? I can, but I’d have to go back quite a long ways. If you can come up with something more recent, I’d be interested to… Read more »
Dear Giles
Your thought for the day on Friday (radio4) was spot on. It sure threw down the gauntlet to the city types among whom you will now be resident.
The concept of the common good needs its advocates as never before.
Your appointment is therefore both well deserved and apposite.
Well done on all fronts!
John Preston
Thought for the day – 2nd November. I found Canon Giles Fraser’s ‘fearful’ approach to death totally at odds with mine – and what I understand to be the Christian message. My late brother was an Anglican priest, and frequently we discussed death and beyond – not in any maudlin sense, but almost with a sense of ‘anticipation’. It is the timing and mode of dying that exercises many minds. In the event, my brother welcomed death as a release from his sufferings. Some little time before, I had been quietly musing on the moment of transition from this life… Read more »
Despite the pedants who think they know ‘When you die, you die’, absolutely no one can truly know the answer until we die! Think about it, Giles.
This is very good news, though I’m sure the people of Putney will miss him.