From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org
New Zealand's first woman Anglican Dean appointed
From
Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>
Date
Sun, 25 Jan 2004 18:01:44 -0800
ACNS 3747 | NEW ZEALAND | 21 JANUARY
2004
New Zealand's first woman Dean appointed
[ACNS source: Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia] The
Reverend Helen Jacobi has been appointed as the new Dean of St John's
Cathedral in Napier, a city in the North Island of New Zealand.
Currently serving as the Vicar of Wadestown in the Wellington Diocese,
Helen will become the first woman to hold the office of Dean in the
Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and one of only a
handful world wide.
Ms Jacobi brings a wealth of experience to the job, both in New Zealand as
a priest, social worker and researcher and with the Anglican Church
overseas in Paris and Ottawa, working in Christian education, and social
services for the homeless.
She holds a Bachelor of Divinity degree from the University of London, and
advanced qualifications in congregational development from New York.
Dean-elect Jacobi is looking forward to the challenge of ministry in a
cathedral context.
"I'm looking forward to working out the particulars of ministry in a bigger
church and bigger church community. It'll be fun working out what it means
to be a cathedral church in the broader picture of city, diocese and region."
Ms Jacobi leaves her church community in Wadestown with some sadness. Over
the last four years at St Luke's she has focused on rebuilding the church
and its congregation.
"It will be sad to leave the people," she said. "We've worked hard together
building up the congregation and rebuilding the church complex. There are
some very interesting and dynamic people in that parish." Just as Helen is
due to leave, a new church complex will be built at Wadestown to the design
she has worked on for the last two years.
The Dean-elect will move to Napier with her husband Stephen and their two
daughters after Easter, and be installed in her new position by the Rt Revd
John Bluck, Bishop of Waiapu, on 2 May 2004.
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