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.
Adèle is the Archdeacon of Switzerland, having previously served in both Zurich and Lausanne. The title of the stall refers to a 14th century invocation of the protection of the Virgin Mary upon Gibraltar and upon Europe as a whole. At the southern tip of Gibraltar there is a Roman Catholic shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Europe.
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.
Marcus has been Chaplain of the Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit, Costa Blanca, Spain since 2012. He is well known to members of our Archdeaconry Synod for his contributions to worship at Synod meetings.
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.