In medieval times every cathedral was run by its Dean together with a committee of clergy, each chosen by the Bishop. The committee was called the chapter, and its members were called canons. Each canon would have his own seat in the cathedral, known as a stall, and often each stall would be named after a saint, or after a place in the diocese.
Nowadays most canons are honorary, which means that they don't play an active part in running their cathedral, and they may live some distance away. Usually they are chosen by their Bishop and given the title 'canon' in recognition of their contribution to the life of the diocese as a whole, for example as a leader in evangelism, or as a theological advisor.
In our diocese, the canons 'support the Bishop with prayer and advice'. They meet from time to time to discuss questions of mission, theology, and pastoral care. The two pro-cathedrals, in Brussels and Malta, each have their own canons, but all the canons meet as one joint chapter.
In our cathedral each stall has a shield to represent the individual after whom it is named. The Bishop makes his nominee a canon by a ceremony called a collation, which may take place anywhere; a canon is given their stall by means of an installation which has to take place in the cathedral.
Bishop David has been Suffragan Bishop in our Diocese since 2002.
Frances has supported Bishop David's ministry, as his Chaplain, since his consecration in 2002 and has travelled widely throughout the Diocese. She was ordained deacon by Bishop Geoffrey in 2009 at the Diocesan Synod in Cologne. She is a member of the Bishop's Senior Staff Team, and of the Gibraltar Archdeaconry Synod.
Andrew is General Secretary of the Mission to Seafarers, and is based in England. He is also the Archbishop of Canterbury's official Spokesman on Maritime Affairs.
Ann Turner is a member of St Boniface, Antwerp, and for many years represented our Diocese on the General Synod of the Church of England. For part of her time on that Synod she was one of the Lay Chairs.
Carolyn has been Chaplain of La Côte in Switzerland since 2010, and Diocesan Adviser for Women's Ministry since 2019.
Grace is professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Exeter. From 2000 to 2001 she was the Kerstin-Hesselgren Professor at the University of Uppsala in Sweden. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Theology from the University of Uppsala in 2008.
Celia was licensed as a Reader in 2012 and worships in St George’s, Madrid. She has been the Director of Readers for the past two years. She helped write the Lay Learning Course and is secretary for our churches in Spain for FEREDE. She is a Godly Play trainer for both Spain and the Diocese and was part of the Children, Youth and Young People’s network.
Peter was appointed as Archdeacon of France in 2021. Prior to his ordination, Peter worked in the agricultural supply industry in France, and was a chaplaincy warden. He comes back to our diocese after ministering for several years in rural Leicestershire.
Robin is a retired theology professor, and our Canon Theologian. He is the only one of our Canons with a home here in Gibraltar. He is also a Canon of Canterbury Cathedral. Read more about Robin here.
Sam was appointed as Archdeacon of North-West Europe in 2021, but continues to serve as chaplain in Groningen.
William is Vicar of St Mark's, Regents Park, in London. He is also the Director of Ordinands for our Diocese.