The Dean’s Leadership Team

The Very Reverend John Witcombe

John is Dean of Coventry, carrying responsibility for the overall leadership of the Cathedral’s ministry both locally and internationally. After reading law at Cambridge, John spent an intern year in Manhattan, then trained for ordination in Nottingham before serving a curacy in the ex-mining parish of Birtley, County Durham.

John led churches in suburban Nottingham, Sheffield and West London and completed an M.Phil in atonement theology before becoming Dean of St. John’s College Nottingham, teaching Practical Theology and leading the residential community. He then moved to Gloucester as Director of Ordinands and Curate Training, and subsequently Director of Ministry and Residentiary Canon of Gloucester Cathedral, before moving to his present post leading Coventry Cathedral in January 2013.

Coventry’s urban setting, commitment to peace and reconciliation, and diverse tradition embodies the heart of his vocation to ordination.

John is married to Ricarda, who is also a priest, leading the Chaplaincy team in a local hospital. He relaxes by walking in the hills, and enjoys the arts, and especially the annual Greenbelt festival with its commitment to faith, justice and the arts. John and Ricarda share five adult children, a cat and several fish.

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The Reverend Canon Mary Gregory, Canon for Arts and Reconciliation

Mary is Canon for Arts and Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral. In this new role, Mary is building on the Cathedral and diocese’s rich heritage of working for reconciliation, focusing especially on weaving this strand of ministry more closely with the Cathedral’s arts offering to develop creative mission opportunities.

Mary grew up in rural Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, before studying English at Birmingham University. After graduation, she worked in the Prison Service for ten years as a Prison Officer and, latterly, as a Prison Governor with responsibility for prisoners’ regimes. She was a member of a high-profile enquiry into incidents at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland, which was foundational in developing her interest in reconciliation.

Mary studied theology at Cranmer Hall in Durham. Her MA in Theological Research included an exploration of the Gospel and the arts, whilst her dissertation focused on the cultural appropriation of the holocaust at Auschwitz in post-war Poland.

She served her curacy and first incumbency in the Diocese of Sheffield, where she was also Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands and Dean of Women’s Ministry.

Mary then moved to become Team Rector for the Flagstaff Family of Churches, a group of six parishes in North-West Leicestershire, and Rural Mission Enabler for the Diocese of Leicester.

Mary is a serial-adopter of retired greyhounds, and a self-taught quilter. She loves walking holidays and has completed the Cleveland Way and Wainwright’s Coast-to-Coast. She has a particular passion for the rich potential of words, and for the role of beauty and the imagination in drawing us deeper into our encounters with God.

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Simon Danks, COO

Simon is the Chief Operating Officer for Coventry Cathedral and, as such, oversees the business and governance aspects of the organisation’s activities. Previously a business improvement specialist, he combines a deep understanding of how to maximize performance with experience of charity leadership gained on a voluntary basis over the last 20 years.

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