Honorary Canons Announced

Congratulations to the eight newly appointed Honorary Canons of Manchester Cathedral, who have been recognised for their dedicated service to the diocese and the wider Church:

The Revd Canon Simon Cook
The Revd Canon Guy Hewitt
Canon Abigail Ogier
The Revd Canon Ian Rutherford
The Revd Canon Dr Christian Selvaratnam
The Revd Canon Márcia Wall
The Revd Canon Dr Kim Wasey
The Revd Canon Vincent Whitworth

These appointments have been made by Bishop David in consultation with Dean Rogers Govender. Please pray for our new Honorary Canons as they prepare for their installation service, taking place during Evensong at Manchester Cathedral on Sunday, 5th October 2025. It is customary for the title of Canon to be used from the moment of appointment.

Learn more about each of our new honorary canons:

The Revd Canon Simon Cook Simon Cook has served his entire ordained ministry in the Diocese of Manchester: as a curate in Salford, then a parish priest and latterly Area Dean in Bury, before taking up the role of-full time Area Dean of Bolton for the last four years. Since April, Simon has also taken up the role of Acting Archdeacon as he covers the absence of Archdeacon Rachel in Salford and Bolton archdeaconries. He is passionate about exploring how churches can work with schools, families and young people, and has been married to Liz, a Church Primary School Headteacher, for 25 years this October. They have two adult sons, a shared tendency to workaholism, and a love of films, music, walking and travel, which they enjoy together as time, and a large vicarage garden, permit. He is humbled by the invitation to become an Honorary Canon of the Cathedral, and looks forward to continuing to serve the Lord as, when, and however He may lead.
The Revd Canon Guy Hewitt Guy is the inaugural Director of Racial Justice in the Church of England. Ordained over 20 years ago, he served primarily as a self-supporting minister alongside his public service career, which included charity, NGO, academic, intergovernmental, and diplomatic roles. A former ambassador in the UK, he is a fellow of the UCL Institute of Commonwealth Studies, Westminster Abbey Institute, and Newbigin Institute for Faith, Peace, and Justice. With African, Caribbean, and Asian heritages, he has served as a priest in the Dioceses of Southwark, London, Southeast Florida, and Barbados.
Canon Abigail Ogier Abby has been a lifelong resident of Manchester and has worshipped at various churches in the south of the diocese over the years. In 2018, she was licensed as a Reader, and exercises her Reader ministry in the Wythenshawe Team. She has been a lay representative on General Synod since being first elected in a by-election in 2020, and serves as a Personal Formation Advisor in the shared discernment process. She occasionally helps out with leading Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer at the Cathedral when clergy colleagues are unavailable. After a 20-year career working with children and families (most of it with children's charity Barnardo's) during her Reader training Abby discerned a call to work with people in later life. In 2019 she joined MHA (Methodist Homes) as the chaplain in a large nursing home with specialist dementia care, and now works as Deputy Head of Chaplaincy for MHA. She is married to Marc, has two grown-up children from her first marriage, and two grandchildren who are a great joy!
The Revd Canon Ian Rutherford Revd Ian Rutherford is a City Centre Minister based at Methodist Central Hall, Manchester. Central Hall is a hub for social justice, a centre for mission and service, and a place for public theology. Ian is committed to civic and community engagement and to social justice, with his current priorities in Greater Manchester being: Housing and Homelessness, Food Security, Refugee Support, and Action on Climate Change. He is the Faith Sector Lead on Homelessness and Housing for Mayor Andy Burnham, Chair of the Greater Manchester Food Security Action Network, Vice-Chair and Trustee of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, Co-Chair of the National Leadership Team of Citizens UK, and a member of the Green City Region Partnership Board. Ian is passionate about ecumenism and interfaith relations, is Co-Chair of the Greater Manchester Faith and Belief Advisory Panel, and represents GMNetworksConnect within Greater Manchester Faith Community Leaders.
The Revd Canon Dr Christian Selvaratnam The Revd Dr Christian Selvaratnam was ordained in the Diocese of York in 2008, having previously served as a free church minister. He is currently Dean of Church Planting at St Hild College, where he also leads the Centre for Church Planting. Through this role, he supports dioceses across the North and nationally, as well as Baptist churches and associations throughout the UK, in the work of church planting and mission. Christian is an experienced church planter, having started two new churches and supported the planting of six more. He now trains others in this work—ranging from lay leaders to doctoral researchers. At the heart of his ministry is a desire to inspire mission and evangelism, train and equip church leaders, and revitalise the Church. For the past 25 years, he has focused particularly on the North of England, working with a commitment to church unity and growth. Before his current role, he served as National Director of Alpha UK; his first post after university was as a verger in Coventry. Christian is also an Ambassador for the College of Archbishops’ Evangelists, an Adjunct Professor at Asbury Seminary in Kentucky, and a member of the General Synod of the Church of England. He serves on a number of boards and committees related to mission, church renewal and education in the UK, Europe and North America. Christian is married to Amanda, and they have three adult children.
The Revd Canon Márcia Wall Manchester Diocese has always been Márcia’s home diocese and Manchester Cathedral her spiritual home. She was ordained deacon in 2007 and priest in 2008. After serving her curacy at St Michael’s Bamford and St George’s, Oakenrod she was licensed as Incumbent of All Saints, Rhodes and Holy Trinity, Parkfield in 2010, and in 2016 as Canon Pastor at Manchester Cathedral. After a year as Acting Precentor, she was installed as Canon Precentor in 2018. Márcia has served the diocese in many ways. She was a member of Diocesan and General Synods, Area Dean and Borough Dean, Bishop’s Adviser in Women’s Ministry, conducted Ministerial Reviews and interviewed candidates exploring their call to the ordained ministry. For the wider Church, she has conducted Diocesan Reviews, attended House of Bishops and College of Bishops meetings as participant observer, and was Bishops’ Adviser in the Discernment Process for prospective ordinands. Márcia took early retirement in 2023 following cancer treatment for AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) and was delighted to return to the Cathedral as Cathedral Chaplain in 2025. For Márcia it is a privilege and an honour to be made Honorary Canon at the Cathedral.
The Revd Canon Dr Kim Wasey Kim serves as President of Luther King College and Principal of Open College, and her working life has consisted of pastoral care, education and formation. Kim teaches in the areas of pastoral and practical theology with a particular interest in research methodologies and Chaplaincy Studies. She holds an MPhil by research in Church History and a Doctorate in Theology, both from Birmingham University. She has published on young women’s experiences of church and using social media for qualitative research, and is a member of the steering group for the Symposium on the Faith Lives of Women and Girls. In recent years, Kim also served as Assistant Priest of St Chrysostom, Victoria Park.
The Revd Canon Vincent Whitworth Revd Vincent Whitworth was ordained in 2007 in Liverpool Diocese. After completing his curacy, Vinny moved to Manchester Diocese and spent 8 years as Associate Minister at St Peters Halliwell. Vinny currently serves as Vicar of St Bede Church, Bolton-Le-Moors and Team Vicar of St Andrew, Over Hulton within Bolton Deanery. Vinny has been significantly involved in the life of the wider Diocesan family over many years; he was previously a reader chaplain and also served as Area Dean between 2015-2021. Vinny currently represents the Diocese as a member of General Synod and is a member of Diocesan Synod. Vinny is particularly passionate about the church's ministry with children and young people.