They are neighbours who have been apart for four hundred years. But last week they were reunited.
The Bishop of St Davids, Rt. Rev. Wyn Evans, presided over a special service to inaugurate the new Pembroke Deanery, formed by the merger of the former Deaneries of Narberth and Castlemartin, in St Mary’s Church, Pembroke Dock.
The new Deanery of Pembroke covers the area from Narberth in the north east to Angle in the south west, and include the major centres of Tenby, Pembroke and Pembroke Dock. The new Dean of Pembroke is the former Rural Dean of Narberth, Rev. Canon Michael Butler.
Outlining the reasons for the change, the Archdeacon of St Davids, Ven. Dr. John Holdsworth, said that the new unit has the potential to offer a wider fellowship and context of discussion for both clergy and lay people, as well as benefits of scale that would enable a more dynamic role for the deanery altogether, which would bring added value for everyone.
Welcoming the change, the Bishop said that he believed there was scope for similar mergers in other parts of the diocese, and that he remained convinced of a real and distinct role for the deanery as a mission unit.
Photograph by David Hammond-Williams: Canon Michael Butler is installed as Dean of Pembroke
