Christ Church has appointed the Reverend Canon Professor Martyn William Percy as the new Dean to replace the outgoing Reverend Christopher Lewis, who has been in the position since 2002.
Professor Percy has been the Principal of Ripon College, Cuddesdon since 2004, and is married to Dr Emma Percy, Chaplain of Trinity College.
He also holds the distinction of being the only real-world theologian to be quoted in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. Commenting on the “exciting and challenging” nature of the job, Professor Percy stated, “I am very much looking forward to serving the unique foundation that is Christ Church – a college of the University and the Cathedral of the Diocese. I am particularly looking forward to working together with colleagues throughout the College and the Cathedral, as well as with the senior staff of the Diocese.”
Christ Church has a unique status, being the only academic institution in the world that is also a cathedral. As the Visitor of Christ Church is the reigning monarch, the Dean of Christ Church is one of the few academic positions that must be personally approved by the Queen.
David Nowell, Senior Censor at Christ Church, commented to Cherwell, “Martyn is an excellent fit for the Deanship of Christ Church in a number of important respects: he is an active academic, committed to the importance of teaching and research; and he has experience of college life at Cambridge and at Cuddesdon. Martyn also has wide experience as a priest.”
He further noted, “We look forward to welcoming Martyn and his family to Christ Church in the autumn.”
A second year philosopher at Christ Church commented, “We look forward to welcoming the new Dean to Christ Church and I am sure the dean will enjoy his time here. Christ Church often attracts media attention for all the wrong reasons, and I hope he will be a good fi gure to attempt to challenge this.”
Percy is due to take up the post at Christ Church in October 2014.
