New Dean of Gloucester Installed
27th April 2023
The new Dean of Gloucester, the Very Revd Andrew Zihni, was installed at the weekend and shared his hopes of living out his new ministry in “joy, openness and love”.
New Dean of Gloucester, the Very Revd Andrew Zihni has been Installed.
Andrew is the 39th Dean of Gloucester and his first task is to lead the Cathedral in all its celebrations for the Coronation of the King next weekend.
During the installation, Dean Andrew took an oath to administer the Cathedral in accordance with its Constitution and Statutes, before being placed in his official chair or ‘stall’ in the Quire by the Bishop of Tewkesbury.
In his sermon, he introduced himself to the congregation and shared his hopes of living out his new ministry in ‘joy, openness and love’.
The service was attended by around 700 people from across the city, county, diocese and beyond, and featured music by the Cathedral Choir, alongside readings and prayers from members of the local community.
Dean Andrew said:
“It was a huge joy and honour to have been installed during Sunday’s service as the 39th Dean of Gloucester.
“Some parts of the service had their roots in what happened on such occasions in medieval times, so this was a striking reminder of the significant responsibility that has been conferred on me, going back not only to the Reformation, when the Cathedral was reconstituted as a new Foundation, but to the Abbots of the Benedictine monastery established here in the 11th century.
“In celebrating this new chapter in the Cathedral’s story, I am looking forward to the work of leading the Cathedral community as a beacon of Christian hope to the city, the county, and the diocese, pointing to the love of Jesus Christ for all people in the richness and splendour of our diversity.”
The service was live-streamed, and a recording is available on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel.
The Very Reverend Andrew Zihni, Dean of Gloucester:
Andrew was born and grew up in Hong Kong, before moving to the UK with his family. He trained for ordination at St Stephen’s House, Oxford, and was ordained Deacon in 2002 and Priest in 2003. He began his ordained ministry in the former mining town of Goldthorpe in South Yorkshire, before moving to St George’s Chapel, Windsor, where he was a Minor Canon and School Chaplain. Andrew then moved to Southwark, where he was Assistant Director of Vocations in the Diocese of Southwark and Honorary Minor Canon at Southwark Cathedral before becoming Canon Precentor in January 2021. He was also a Priest Vicar at Westminster Abbey from 2018 to 2021.