The Very Revd Jonathan Greener, Dean of Exeter, Announces Upcoming Retirement
The Very Revd Jonathan Greener, Dean of Exeter, has announced that he is to retire this coming July.
Jonathan has been Dean of Exeter since November 2017, having previously served as Dean of Wakefield in West Yorkshire for 10 years. He has led the cathedral community through a period of healing and consolidation in the early years, and more recently through a major development project, which has seen the building of a new cloister and Treasures Exhibition, and the renewal of the cathedral quire and East End.
Jonathan says:
“Earlier this week, I reached the venerable age of 65, so, after 18 years as a dean, I think it is time for me to retire and make way for a younger model. I have greatly enjoyed most of those 18 years, and the privilege to serve the Church in this way both in Wakefield and here in Exeter has been enormous. I simply love the building here at the heart of Exeter, and shall miss the community and the music hugely, as well as the opportunity to welcome people to a place that cannot fail to move and inspire. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has made Pamela and me so welcome in Devon, and supported and encouraged us in innumerable ways. We look forward to our move to Torquay, where we can still enjoy this wonderful county without getting under the feet of my successor.”
The Bishop of Exeter, Dr Mike Harrison says:
“In his tenure as Dean of Exeter Cathedral Jonathan has taken the ministry of the cathedral forward by leaps and bounds – pushing forward long-awaited building projects and completing them, ensuring the finances are ever more robust than they have been and building a strong team across the different aspects of the cathedral’s life. He has also been a wise, energetic and delightful colleague on Bishop’s staff and I and his colleagues will miss him tremendously. He will leave with our profound gratitude and affection for all that he is and has done among us”
The Bishop has appointed an Interim Dean, who will start work here in Exeter on 1 July. The appointments panel, chaired by the Earl of Devon, will begin the search for a new dean in the near future, in the hope that someone will be in post in the first half of 2027.
The Bishop has also appointed The Venerable Hilary Dawson as an interim Canon Treasurer, following the appointment of Canon Chris Palmer as Dean of Winchester. Hilary, who was until recently Archdeacon of Gloucester and Residentiary Canon of Gloucester Cathedral, will be licensed on 13 April 2026.
Jonathan’s final Sunday at the cathedral will be 5 July 2026.