Background:
In a broad narrative of decline in religious practice in contemporary England, the place of the Christian faith is surprisingly prominent in what is viewed by many as a secular democracy. Whether in Parliament, the Crown or the City, much of British ceremonial life has a religious underpinning. Why do these traditions persist, and how are they evidenced in public religion? How do individuals square their own religious beliefs with the demands of a secular workplace?
Speaker:
The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett has been Dean of St Paul’s since September 2022 and leads the Cathedral’s spiritual and operational life, as well as representing St Paul’s in the City and beyond. He was Dean of Durham from 2016 to 2022 and established the Durham Cathedral School’s Foundation, which educates 700 pupils and provides Chorister places for 24 boys and 24 girls on an equal and needs-blind basis. He was previously based in London between 2010 and 2016 when he was Rector of St Margaret’s Church, Archdeacon of Westminster and Sub-Dean of Westminster Abbey. In 2012 he established the Westminster Abbey Institute, working with Public Service Institutions and Parliament Square to support ethics in public life.
Andrew was born in Devon, has family ties to Belgium and Holland. Following time as port Chaplain in Rotterdam, he is a trustee for the global maritime charity ‘The Mission to Seafarers’. He is married to the Revd Prof Maggi Dawn, who teaches and researches at Durham University.