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Jan McFarlane

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The Right Reverend

Jan McFarlane
Dean of Lichfield
McFarlane in March 2018
DioceseDiocese of Lichfield
In office21 September 2024 – present
Other post(s)Honorary assistant bishop (2020–present)
Previous post(s)
Orders
Ordination1993 (deacon)
1994 (priest)
by Keith Sutton
Consecration29 June 2016
by Justin Welby
Personal details
Born
Janet Elizabeth McFarlane

(1964-11-25) 25 November 1964 (age 59)
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
NationalityBritish
DenominationAnglican
ParentsDavid and Anne McFarlane
Spouse
Andrew Ridoutt
​
(m. 2004)​
EducationBlythe Bridge High School
Alma materUniversity of Sheffield
University of Durham
Cranmer Hall, Durham

Janet Elizabeth "Jan" McFarlane (born 25 November 1964) is a British Church of England bishop and former speech and language therapist. She has been Dean of Lichfield, the primus inter pares (first among equals) of the clergy at Lichfield Cathedral — the mother church of the Diocese of Lichfield — since 2024;[1] she has also been an honorary assistant bishop of the Diocese since 2020. She has previously served as a Canon of Lichfield; as Bishop of Repton (the suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Derby); and as Acting Bishop of Derby.

Early life and education

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Jan McFarlane was born on 25 November 1964 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.[2][3][4] She was educated at Blythe Bridge High School, a state secondary school in Blythe Bridge near Stoke-on-Trent.[5] She studied at the University of Sheffield, graduating with a Bachelor of Medical Science (BMedSci) degree in 1987.[2] She then worked as a Speech Therapist in the National Health Service and lived in North Staffordshire.[6] She specialised in teaching deaf children to speak.[3]

Having been selected for ordination, Jan McFarlane underwent a number of years of formation. She studied theology at St John's College, Durham, and graduated from the University of Durham with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1992.[2] She then underwent a further year of training at Cranmer Hall, Durham, an open evangelical Anglican theological college,[2][7] completing a Diploma in Ministry (DipMin) in 1993.[4]

Ordained ministry

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McFarlane was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1993 at Lichfield Cathedral.[2][7] From 1993 to 1994, she served as parish deacon in the Stafford Team Ministry in the Diocese of Lichfield.[2] She was ordained as a priest in 1994.[2] She was one of the first female priests as 1994 was the first year that the Church of England ordained women to the priesthood.[8] From 1994 to 1996, she remained in the Stafford to serve her curacy as part of the Stafford Team Ministry.[2][7] From 1996 to 1999, she was a chaplain and minor canon of Ely Cathedral in the Diocese of Ely.[2]

In 1999, she moved to the Diocese of Norwich to take up the appointment of Diocesan Director of Communications.[2] From 2001 to 2009, she was additionally chaplain to Graham James, Bishop of Norwich.[2][7] She was selected as the next Archdeacon of Norwich in 2008.[6] On 15 March 2009, she was installed as Archdeacon in Norwich Cathedral.[7] Upon her appointment, she became one of only nine female archdeacons out of a total of 112 in the Church of England and the first in her diocese.[6] From 2015, she also served as Warden of Readers for the diocese.[9]

Jan McFarlane was first elected to the General Synod of the Church of England in 2005.[5] She is a supporter of the ordination of women as bishops.[10] She was a member of the General Synod that approved the consecration of women to the episcopate.[11]

Episcopal ministry

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On 26 February 2016, Jan McFarlane was announced as the next Bishop of Repton, suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Derby.[8] She was consecrated a bishop by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, on 29 June 2016.[12][13] She was welcomed into the Diocese of Derby as Bishop of Repton on 7 September 2016, during service at Derby Cathedral.[14] While at Repton, she also served as Acting diocesan Bishop of Derby, 31 August 2018 to February 2019.[15]

It was announced in January 2020 that she would be moving to become a Residentiary Canon ("Canon Custos") of Lichfield Cathedral,[16] and an honorary assistant bishop of the Diocese of Lichfield, the following April.[17] She was duly licensed to those roles on 3 April 2020.[18] In April 2023, she was licensed as interim dean of Lichfield Cathedral.[19][20][21] On 5 June 2024, it was announced that she had been appointed Dean of Lichfield on a permanent basis.[22][23] She was instituted as dean during a service at Lichfield Cathedral on 21 September 2024.[24][1]

Personal life

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In 2004, McFarlane married Andrew Ridoutt.[4] Her husband works as a television cameraman.[8]

In February 2014, McFarlane was diagnosed with breast cancer. As part of her treatment, she underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She shared her story with a local newspaper, the Eastern Daily Press, and "urged other cancer patients to not hide away from the disease".[25]

Selected works

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  • McFarlane, Jan (2009). Pocket prayers for Advent and Christmas. London: Church House Publishing. ISBN 9780715141960.
  • McFarlane, Jan; Gooder, Paula; Baines, Nick; Kiddle, John; Cottrell, Stephen (2010). Ready Steady Slow: an Advent calendar to unwind with. London: Church House Publishing. ISBN 9780715142219.
  • McFarlane, Jan (2012). Pocket prayers of blessing. London: Church House Publishing. ISBN 9780715142394.

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Dean's Installation: Rediscovering Faith". Lichfield Cathedral. 27 September 2024. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Janet Elizabeth McFarlane". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Norwich vicar Jan's debt to Dawn French". Network Norwich. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "McFARLANE, Ven. Janet Elizabeth". Who's Who 2016. Oxford University Press. November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Archdeacon of Norwich set to be made a bishop". Network Norfolk. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "First-ever female archdeacon set for Norwich". Network Norfolk. 20 June 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Archdeacon of Norwich". Diocese of Norwich. The Church of England. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  8. ^ a b c "Suffragan Bishop of Repton: Janet Elizabeth McFarlane". GOV.UK. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  9. ^ "Archdeacon of Norwich to be made a bishop". Diocese of Norwich. Church of England. 26 February 2016. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  10. ^ "Women Bishops: Enough Waiting – Jan McFarlane's message to General Synod". Archbishop of Canterbury. 15 November 2012. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  11. ^ "The Archdeacon of Norwich, the Venerable Jan McFarlane, on today's women bishops vote". BBC Radio Norfolk. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  12. ^ Diocese of Derby — The Bishop of Repton(Archived 22 October 2016 and accessed 28 July 2021) & [1] (Accessed 28 July 2021)
  13. ^ Twitter — Adrian Harris (Accessed 29 June 2016)
  14. ^ "Welcome service for the Bishop of Repton". derbycathedral.org. Derby Cathedral. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ "Bishop Jan writes…". www.derby.anglican.org. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018.
  16. ^ "New Canon Custos at Lichfield Cathedral".
  17. ^ "UK news in brief". www.churchtimes.co.uk. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  18. ^ @BpJanMc (3 April 2020). "Thanks to modern technology I am now officially commissioned as Canon Custos @LichfieldCath and Assistant Bishop @Lichfield_CofE. Apparently I kept disappearing off the screen. I promise not to do this in real life" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ "Appointments". Church Times. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Who's Who: Interim Dean". Lichfield Cathedral. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  21. ^ Clergy News, The Daily Telegraph, 27 May 2023
  22. ^ "Appointment of Dean of Lichfield: 5 June 2024". GOV.UK. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  23. ^ "No. 64438". The London Gazette. 20 June 2024. p. 11922.
  24. ^ "First Female Dean of Lichfield Appointed". Lichfield Cathedral. 5 June 2024. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  25. ^ Gretton, Adam (30 August 2014). "'The more open we can be, the less frightening cancer becomes' – the Archdeacon of Norwich, the Ven Jan McFarlane, shares her story about her fight with breast cancer". Eastern Daily Press. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
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