Canterbury Cathedral bids a fond farewell as the Reverend Canon Andrew Dodd is appointed Dean of Coventry
The Reverend Canon Andrew Dodd, Canon Residentiary and Canon Treasurer at Canterbury Cathedral will be the next Dean of Coventry, it has been announced today (16 July 2026).
Dodd will leave his post at Canterbury, after conducting his final services on 1 November. He will assume his new role as Dean of Coventry on Advent Eve, 28 November.
In his capacity as Canon Treasurer, Andrew has overseen major building projects across the Canterbury Cathedral estate and led its work on environmental sustainability and achieving Net Zero Carbon. His extensive experience of leading change, caring for historic buildings and helping churches respond to the opportunities and challenges of the future will be integral to his move to Coventry’s Deanery.
As Coventry’s new Dean, Dodd will oversee the Cathedral's daily spiritual, pastoral, and administrative operations. Working together with Bishop Sophie Jelley on the Bishop's Senior Staff Team, Andrew will be the senior priest, resident caretaker, and primary administrator of the cathedral itself.
Speaking about his appointment as Dean of Coventry, Canon Dodd said:
“It has been a great privilege to share in the leadership of Canterbury Cathedral over the past six years, particularly through a period of change and recovery following the COVID pandemic. Under Dean David’s leadership, and with the guidance of Kathryn Beldon, our Receiver General, I have learned so much about the challenges and opportunities facing cathedrals today, especially in offering welcome, caring for our buildings and finances, and sharing the good news of God’s love for all people. My time at Canterbury has been a gift which my family and I will always cherish, and I look forward with joy and humility to beginning this new ministry as Dean of Coventry.”
He adds: “'I am honoured to be the next Dean of Coventry and excited to join Bishop Sophie (Jelley) and her team serving the Cathedral and wider diocese. Coventry Cathedral has long stood as a powerful sign of hope in a fractured world. Its commitment to peace and reconciliation, rooted in its own story, speaks directly to the needs of our time. In a world so often marked by conflict, Coventry’s witness reminds us that healing and new beginnings are possible.”
Before joining Canterbury Cathedral in 2020, Andrew spent nine years as Team Rector in Great Grimsby and was Area Dean of Northeast Lincolnshire. There, he played a key role in establishing Grimsby Minster as a centre of civic life, developing it as a welcoming hub for arts, community engagement and social action that served the wider town.
Andrew was ordained in the Diocese of Southwark in 2000. After serving his curacy in New Addington (near Croydon), he became Rector of St Mary's Newington at Elephant and Castle, London, where he continued his commitment to serving diverse communities before moving to Grimsby.
Paying tribute to his departing colleague, the Very Revd David Monteith, Dean of Canterbury also offered congratulations saying:
“Andrew has been Canon Treasurer since 2020. He shared leadership here during the difficult days of COVID and in the long recovery which has followed. He has overseen the care of the cathedral fabric, addressing Carbon Zero and finances, as well as building partnerships with key players in the community such as our Business Improvement District and local schools. Film Club has allowed him to share his passion for the cinema with others. His speaking and preaching so often revealed his commitments to justice, and peace and work with those who are excluded in need of reconciliation and inclusion. Now he has a wonderful canvas to develop that ministry much further as Dean of Coventry with reconciliation at the heart of that mission.”
In congratulating Andrew on this new appointment, the Right Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Bishop of Dover, thanked him for his service to her diocese:
“I am deeply grateful for the way Andrew has shared his ministry among us with true dedication and commitment, demonstrating his care for people. I wish Andrew every blessing as he takes up this new role, he goes with my prayers and best wishes – he will be a great servant to the Cathedral community and people of Coventry.”
The Right Reverend Sophie Jelley, Bishop of Coventry, says:
“I am delighted to welcome Andrew as the next Dean of Coventry. Bringing a wealth of mission and ministry experience across parish and cathedral, I am confident that he has the skills and gifts we were seeking to lead our cathedral into strength in the coming years. Andrew especially impressed the panel with his vision for the cathedral's potential and a clear grasp of the challenges and opportunities he will face. I am convinced that Andrew will be a great asset to the cathedral, diocese and bishop's senior staff team. Please join me in praying for Andew, his wife Louise and their children, in this time of transition.”
Full details about Revd Canon Dodd’s installation as Dean of Coventry will be announced in due course. For more information, please visit www.coventrycathedral.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
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The Revd Canon Andrew Dodd (b.1968) Andrew and his wife, Louise, who is a parish priest, have two children. As well as enjoying family life, Andrew is learning to play hockey, is an artisanal baker and enjoys world cinema.
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