A former nurse is returning to her Welsh roots to take up one of the most senior roles in the Church in Wales.
Janet Henderson, who gave up nursing to be ordained more than 20 years ago, has been appointed as the new Dean of Llandaff. She joins the Church having served as Archdeacon of Richmond in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, for the last five years and as residentiary Canon of Ripon Cathedral until last year.
Originally from Neath, Janet, 55, grew up in Llandrindod Wells and Aberystwyth and is a former pupil of Howell’s School, Llandaff. She learned Welsh at secondary school and is a keen amateur musician.
Janet will start her new role following her installation at Llandaff Cathedral in March.
With a first class degree in Theology from Durham, Janet was ordained in the Diocese of Ely in 1988. She has served much of her ministry in the city of Nottingham in the Diocese of Southwell where she has been, in turn, parish priest, area dean, dean of women’s ministry and an honorary canon.
Announcing her appointment today (SUN), the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, said, “I am delighted to appoint Janet as the new Dean of Llandaff. She has a wide experience of city and Cathedral ministry and I am sure she will make a huge contribution to the life and society of Llandaff – a place with which she is already very familiar.”
Janet said, ‘I am thrilled and humbled to have been appointed as the next Dean of Llandaff Cathedral and Vicar of the parish. This is a very interesting time to be moving back to Wales. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and working with the Cathedral to continue to develop worship and address the pressing fabric and financial challenges that face every cathedral community today.
“I’m very excited by the excellent musical tradition at Llandaff and also by all the opportunities for working with the schools and parishes of the Diocese and with St Michael’s College.
“The recent review of the Church in Wales and the growing political confidence of the Assembly make this a time of great potential for the people of Wales, her laws, institutions and her church. There are opportunities ahead for the cathedral in providing a place of welcome for those engaged in national, civic and church life and in ensuring that all who come on pilgrimage to ‘the House of Teilo’ catch a glimpse of the wonder of the site which has been a place of continuous Christian witness for more than 1,500 years.”
Janet has lectured in liturgy and worship at St John’s College, Nottingham and for the Cambridge Theological Federation and is one of the co-editors of a book of Pastoral Prayers. She has continued to contribute to theological education through membership of St John’s College Council, Durham, where she is a member of the steering group of CODEC, a Biblical Literacy and Digital Space research project. Currently, she teaches a worship modue for York St John’s University.
As a nurse, Janet specialised in haematology, renal surgery and dialysis. She has kept up her interest in clinical governance and medical ethics and is currently a Trustee at St Michael’s Hospice.
To relax Janet plays piano and double bass, swims, walks and writes poetry. Since 2012 she has blogged as Archdeacon in the Dales. Her blog is at www.archdeaconinthedales.blogspot.com. Her husband, Dave, is an IT Performance Specialist with IBM.
