St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow seeks an experienced priest to work as a Canon of the Cathedral alongside the Provost.
• sustaining the growth of the congregation
• working on the incorporation of new members
• recognising gifts and skills
• sharing pastoral, liturgical and strategic leadership work
St Mary’s is a vibrant, musical, online, outward looking, diverse congregation and an exciting place to worship and to work.
Full time – Scottish Episcopal Church Standard Stipend with housing local to the cathedral.
Please see below for the job description. Informal enquiries can be made to the Provost, The Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth
provost@thecathedral.org.uk – 0141 339 6691
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Job Description
Vice Provost, St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow
St Mary’s Cathedral is a prominent congregation of the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC) with an ethos of openness, inclusivity and welcome which is at the heart and centre of everything the Cathedral does. It aims to be a place of liturgical excellence which nourishes the faith of people within and beyond the Scottish Episcopal Church.
St Mary’s Cathedral seeks a priest to work alongside the Provost in a leadership post. This is a full time position. The standard stipend of the Scottish Episcopal Church is offered. Housing is currently offered in an attractive three bedroomed flat within walking distance of the cathedral.
Sustaining recent growth
Following the global COVID 19 pandemic, St Mary’s Cathedral is once again experiencing a sustained period of growth. A confident proclamation of the Christian Faith within a liberal catholic tradition is drawing together an increasingly diverse congregation. The successful candidate will enthusiastically embrace and promote the open, inclusive and welcoming ethos of the congregation. Recent growth has been seen in the number of single adult and the number of families with young children joining the congregation. The congregation attracts new people every year who are seeking a credible Christian spirituality.
Working on the incorporation of new members
For many years, the congregations at St Mary’s have experienced quite a rapid turnover in membership. This is due to the Cathedral’s location in the vibrant West End of Glasgow and a context in which large academic institutions and hospitals are prominent. Therefore the successful candidate will enjoy meeting new people and have the skills to support the integration of those finding a way into the congregation. Building welcoming pathways into the congregation is a core task for the Vice Provost.
Recognising gifts and skills
St Mary’s is an immensely gifted congregation which encourages its members to be salt and light in the world. The successful candidate will enjoy helping others to recognise and use their gifts and skills.
University Chaplaincy
The Provost and Vice Provost are currently appointed as honorary Chaplains of the University of Glasgow. The candidate will have a key role in building connections between the congregation and the University and in providing liturgical services in the Memorial Chapel of the University. More details of the Anglican/Episcopal Chaplaincy programme for 2023-24 can be found here: https://ugac.online/
Worship
Worship is a rich experience at St Mary’s. Services at the Cathedral are offered within a liberal catholic tradition in which good preaching is particularly valued.
Music is one of the things which drives the mission of the cathedral. For this reason, the successful candidate will have a confident liturgical singing voice and an ability to read music. Clergy presiding in the cathedral currently sing the Angelus/Regina Caeli at the 9 am Plainsong service, the Eucharistic preface during the 11 am Sung Eucharist and lead the responses at Choral Evensong. The musical life of the cathedral draws deeply on, but is not limited by, the English cathedral choral tradition.
A new service using Nigerian Style worship takes place under the auspices of the cathedral once a month and is usually led and facilitated by a Nigerian member of the cathedral clergy.
Online
St Mary’s has been an innovative congregation online for many years. Currently the 11 am Sung Eucharist is livestreamed and all sermons are posted online. The cathedral pioneered a number of interesting ways of teaching the faith using online video and other online content during the pandemic. Digital skills including editing and content creation are highly desirable for whoever fulfils this post.
General pastoral, liturgical and strategic leadership work
St Mary’s is currently a congregation that is vibrant, musical, online, outward looking, diverse and an exciting place to worship and to work. The successful candidate will take a leading role in the day to day life of the congregation. This will include working closely with the Provost, working collaboratively with other clergy and working creatively with lay leaders. It is expected that the Provost and Vice Provost will negotiate taking a leading role in different aspects of the life of the cathedral according to their own gifts and strengths.
- The Vice Provost is a member of the Leadership Group of the cathedral which consists of the Provost, the Vice Provost and two Church Wardens.
- The Provost and Vice Provost share in leadership of the Vestry, including chairing Vestry meetings. The Vestry are the legal trustees of the congregation.
- The Vice Provost will be a Canon of the Cathedral and the appointment will be subject to the approval of the Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway. Currently the Rt Rev Kevin Pearson.
More details about St Mary’s are available on the website – www.thecathedral.org.uk
More details about the Scottish Episcopal Church are available on the SEC website – www.scotland.anglican.org
More about the Provost on his blog: www.thurible.net
St Mary’s has an inclusive ethos and the congregation has been active in supporting the ordination of both men and women. It was also a congregation which promoted the changes to Scots Law and the Scottish Episcopal Church’s Code of Canons which allow clergy to marry same-sex couples. A number of trans and non-binary people find this congregation a place of safety. The congregation is drawn from across the world and has welcomed a number of refugees recently. It is expected that the Vice Provost will enthusiastically embrace this ethos.
To apply for this position, please fill in the application form which may be downloaded below. The sections of the form will expand to give more space if necessary.
Application Form: http://www.thecathedral.org.uk/ApplicationVP2024.doc
The completed application form should be sent to the Provost, the Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth provost@thecathedral.org.uk
Candidates are also asked to send a link to a video sermon of less than 6 minutes duration which might be preached for the Feast of St Columba 2024. (Please use an online service such as YouTube or Vimeo and do not try to email video files).
Informal enquiries can be made directly to the Provost.
Closing Date – 9 June 2024
