Congratulations to Paul Woodman and Fr Mark Hogan who have been appointed Ecumenical Canons at Winchester Cathedral by the Bishop of Winchester and will be installed during Evensong at the Cathedral this Saturday at 5.30pm.
Paul is Church Leader at City Life Church in Southampton and Fr Mark is Parish Priest at The Catholic Parish of St Peter and the Winchester Martyrs, as well as Episcopal Vicar for Parish Mission Development within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth.
Ecumenical Canons are special honorary appointments to help strengthen relationships between the Cathedral and the wider Christian community as well as encouraging churches to learn from one another, work together and share in serving their local communities.
The new canons will participate in major services and events, while supporting the Cathedral and the Diocese of Winchester through encouragement and prayers.
Please pray for them both as they take up their new roles.
Paul Woodman
Over the past 30 years, I have had the privilege of serving as part of the community at City Life Church Southampton, part of the Pioneer Network. Throughout that time, there has been an ecumenical aspect to what I do, bringing different Christian churches together around common purpose. I have been grateful for the opportunity to work alongside churches and organisations across the diocese, particularly in responding to issues such as homelessness, poverty and immigration. These partnerships have given me a deep appreciation for the richness and diversity of our church communities, and the importance of working with compassion, justice and hope.
Becoming an Honorary Ecumenical Canon is both humbling and encouraging. Addressing issues of deprivation requires people from across denominations to serve faithfully and generously together. This recognition of ecumenical ministry feels very much shared with the many individuals, churches and communities I have had the privilege of serving alongside over the years. I look forward to continuing to build relationships across the diocese and discovering new ways that churches can serve their communities together. My mum, who is Church of England, is also very proud.
Fr Mark Hogan
I was brought up in Fareham, where I went to St. Jude’s Catholic Primary School and was an altar server, cub and scout as part of Sacred Heart Parish. I have a degree in mathematics and in divinity from the University of London. I was ordained deacon in 2000 and priest in 2001 and have spent twenty-five very happy years as a priest.
The first six of these were spent in Southampton City Centre Parish, at the same time as studying to become a Master of Theology at Oxford University. I then became parish priest of St. Joseph’s, Basingstoke for 10 years.
I am currently the Episcopal Vicar for Parish Mission Development in Portsmouth Catholic Diocese and parish priest of St. Peter and the Winchester Martyrs. One of the churches in this parish, namely St. Peter’s Winchester, is currently celebrating its centenary year. This is proving to be a wonderful opportunity to open to the doors widely as a place for all and to thank God for, and foster the many wonderful links with, people from other Christian and faith backgrounds, and all people of good will.
I’m humbled and delighted by the invitation to become an Ecumenical Canon of Winchester Cathedral. I hope and pray it will provide a real strengthening of the bonds which already exist between our communities and will be a visible sign of our response to Christ’s heartfelt prayer to the Father that we be one, as He and the Father are one. Above all, I pray that it may help us in our joint witness to the world to the joy of Christ’s Gospel. I also hope that in some small way, through prayer, presence and deeds, I can contribute to the work of the Cathedral to renew, inspire and unite people in faith, hope and love.
