Leicester Cathedral celebrates first all-female clergy team

Acting Reverend Canon Karen Rooms (centre) said women were increasingly well represented in leadership roles

A cathedral is celebrating having a fully female clergy team in what it believes might be a first for England.

Leicester Cathedral said its team consisted of five women, including the acting dean, Reverend Canon Karen Rooms.

Rev Canon Rooms said women were increasingly well represented in leadership roles in the church.

The Association of English Cathedrals has been contacted for a comment.

'Landmark moment'

The other women in the team include the canon precentor Reverend Canon Emma Davies, the canon pastor Reverend Canon Alison Adams and curates Reverend Manuela Schmucki and Julia Bradshaw.

Rev Canon Rooms said: "While women are increasingly well represented in leadership roles in the church, governance changes... are giving us further opportunities to make sure our cathedral leaders fully represent our diverse congregations and the wider society we serve."

The cathedral said it had a tradition of female firsts.

In 1974, Leicester Cathedral was the first to admit girls to its choir.

Viv Faull, now the Bishop of Bristol, was appointed provost of the cathedral in 2000 - the first woman to hold the role - before becoming the first female cathedral dean, the Dean of Leicester, in 2002.

The Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, said: "It is a delight to work alongside Karen as acting dean and I hope very much that celebrating this landmark moment for the cathedral community and the wider diocese will encourage and inspire others to explore their vocation and contribute to the flourishing of the ministry of women."

A recruitment process is currently under way to appoint a new Dean of Leicester following the departure of the Very Revd David Monteith, after he was appointed as Dean of Canterbury in 2022.

Rev Canon Rooms - who formerly worked in marketing at Boots before moving to Tanzania with the Anglican Church to establish a women's project - was licensed as acting Dean of Leicester by the bishop in January.