DEAN OF GIBRALTAR TO RETIRE

The Very Reverend Alan Woods, the Dean of Gibraltar has announced he is to retire from the beginning of next year and will also step down from his duties as Archdeacon of Gibraltar where he has worked with more than sixty congregations in Spain, Portugal, the Balearics, Madeira and the Canary Islands in addition to his duties in charge of Gibraltar’s Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity.
Alan Woods was ordained in 1970 in Bristol and served in parishes in the diocese of Bristol and Salisbury culminating in his appointment as an Honorary Canon of Salisbury Cathedral in 1992.
In 1996 he and his wife Barbara accepted the invitation to serve in Malta where he was the Senior Chaplain on the islands and Chancellor of the Pro-Cathedral, one of two secondary cathedral (the other being in Brussels) in the vast Diocese in Europe which covers 45 countries, covers one sixth of the world’s land surface and shares nine time zones!
In 2003 the present Bishop in Europe asked Alan Woods to accept the post as Dean of the diocesan cathedral in Gibraltar, to which the post of Archdeacon was added two years ago. Bishop Geoffrey has thanked Alan for his service in Gibraltar and his wise counsel within the diocese as a whole and he will be sadly missed by the many who look upon him as colleague and friend.
During his time in Gibraltar, the Dean has worked with members of the cathedral staff and congregation towards the “Rock of Ages” appeal which is well advanced in its target of £850,000 having raised £308,000 in its first year. Alan Woods says “I am thrilled to be able to hand over the reins to someone else on this firm foundation of fund raising and will watch the completion of the task with a deep personal commitment and interest.
He also took a major role in the centenary celebrations of the cathedral in 2005 – an event which coincided with its 25th anniversary as the mother church of the Diocese in Europe, created in its present form in 1980.
The Dean’s wife, Barbara has this year been appointed President of the Mothers’ Union in the Diocese in Europe and has shared in the life of the Cathedral and Archdeaconry alongside her husband.
He expects that his final Sunday in office will be Epiphany (The Feast of the Three Kings) on 6th January 2008.
The Bishop in Europe will be making appointments to fill these two posts in due course.