Faith features

The Reverend Dr Georgina Byrne is to be the next Residentiary Canon of Worcester Cathedral and Diocesan Director of Ordinands (DDO).

Georgina is currently vicar of St. Kenelm's Church in Romsley, and she will be installed in her new role on Sunday 13 September, during Evensong (4pm) at Worcester Cathedral.

Downing Street made the announcement, because her appointment is made by the Crown.

Life changing decision

As Director of Ordinands, Georgina will work with those people who are considering, or who have already started, the journey towards becoming a minister in the Church of England.

Becoming a member of the clergy is a life-changing decision, and Georgina will have a key role to play in ensuring the candidates and their families are properly supported and advised during this time.

Cathedral governor

Georgina will also be the third Residentiary Canon of Worcester Cathedral and part of the Chapter, which is governing body in the cathedral.

She will work closely with the Dean, the other Residentiary Canons (Alvyn Pettersen, Canon Theologian and David Stanton, Precentor) and two lay Canons, to ensure that the cathedral remains welcoming to all those who visit and a special place where people can find and worship God.

Georgina said: "I'm looking forward to walking alongside people who are beginning to weigh and ponder God's call to them.

"...I'm looking forward to discovering the treasure of God's Holy Spirit working within Worcester's ordinands and curates, supporting them and enabling them to be for others an instrument of God's love and a sign of his presence in the world.

"As a Canon of the cathedral, I hope to work with the Chapter and volunteers in welcoming worshippers, pilgrims and visitors alike, to a building that is both a testimony to our inherited faith and wonderful place of spaciousness and peace in a busy, modern and growing city."

The new Diocese of Worcester Director of Ordinands

Gifted priest

The Bishop of Worcester, The Rt Revd Dr John Inge, said: "I am delighted about Georgina's appointment; she is a very gifted priest, who will bring a great deal both to the Cathedral and to the role of Director of Ordinands.

"She is young, but has considerable experience and wisdom which will benefit all those to whom she ministers.

"This day of the announcement of her appointment is a happy one for the Cathedral and Diocese of Worcester, as it is for the wider church."

The Dean of Worcester, Peter Atkinson, said: "The Chapter of Worcester Cathedral is delighted at the appointment of Dr Georgina Byrne as a Residentiary Canon, and very glad that this post is combined with that of the Diocesan Director of Ordinands.

"Georgina is a person of intellectual distinction and a priest of varied experience, and in her combined role of Canon and DDO she will enrich the life of cathedral and diocese. She and Tim will be very welcome residents of College Green."

Georgina Byrne's biography

• Georgina was born in 1972 and grew up in Wolverhampton.

• She studied Theology at Trinity College, Oxford, and then worked briefly for St Anthony's Leonard Cheshire Home in Wolverhampton.

• Before training for ordination, Georgina spent a year working as a parish assistant in Leek, north Staffordshire.

• She trained for ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge and simultaneously completed an M.Phil in Church History at Corpus Christi College.

• Georgina was ordained as a Deacon in 1997, then as a priest in 1998, and served her curacy at All Saints Church, West Bromwich (Lichfield diocese).

• In 2001 she moved to the diocese of London, to work as Chaplain to the Bishop of Kensington. While there, Georgina worked closely with the DDO in preparing candidates for ordination. She liaised with theological colleges and courses, put together the pre-ordination retreat, dealt with the paperwork and made sure that the ordination services happened smoothly.

• In 2004 Georgina moved again, this time to become a team vicar in the Halas Team with responsibility for Romsley.

• She has worked as an Adviser on Bishops' Advisory Panels (formerly Selection Conferences) since 2007, and has experience of meeting with candidates seeking to discern a vocation to ordained ministry.

• She has also been the Dean of Women's Ministry in the diocese since 2005.

• Georgina is married to Tim Clarke, a barrister and Non-Stipendiary Minister in the Birmingham Diocese.

• Her interests include dressmaking, singing, running and going to the gym.

• In 2008, Georgina completed a PhD about Victorian ideas of the afterlife.

• She maintains an interest in late 19th and early 20th century church history, and is a member of the Ecclesiastical History Society.

• A book, based on Georgina's PhD thesis, is to be published next year.