The Very Reverened Dr William Morton, Dean of St Columb’s Cathedral in Derry
THE Dean of Derry, the Very Rev William Morton, is leaving the city after being elected as the next Dean and Ordinary of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.
Dr Morton (59, who has been very popular among the clergy and parishoners in Derry, succeeds the Very Rev Victor Stacey.
It is being seen a feather in Dr Morton’s cap to be elevated to such a lofty position within the church.
St Patrick’s Cathedral is the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland.
The dean is elected from among the members of the Cathedral Chapter.
Dr Morton is currently the Dean of Derry and is Prebendary of Howth (St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin).
Deeply committed to the arts, Dean Morton has diversified the role of St Columb’s Cathedral, in hosting a number of cross-community and ecumenical events in the form of exhibitions, lectures, seminars and guided tours.
He has also been very involved in several community initiatives. (Further biographical information is given below.)
The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Ken Good, congratulated Dean Morton on his appointment, describing it as “a fitting recognition of his highly effective work as Dean of Derry over the past nineteen years.
“William’s ministry in St Columb’s Cathedral, in the Dioceses of Derry and Raphoe, and in the wider church and community, has been selflessly exercised and greatly appreciated,” Bishop Good said.
“His liturgical proficiency, pastoral dedication and musical expertise are ideally suited to cathedral ministry. The major restoration projects he has overseen in St Columb’s Cathedral have been particularly effective and widely applauded.
“On behalf of the Diocese, I wish to thank William and his wife Rosemary for the remarkably generous manner in which they have given of themselves to the life and witness of St Columb’s Cathedral and I wish them every blessing as they prepare for their move to St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.”
Dr Morton has been Dean of St Columb’s Cathedral for almost two decades after taking up his post in 1997.
He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and was ordained a deacon in 1988 before being priested the following year.
Dr Morton obtained a PhD from Queen’s University of Belfast in 1996.
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