Profiles of Patrons
The Archbishop of Canterbury
The Most Revd and Rt Hon Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, was born in
Swansea in 1950 and was enthroned as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury Cathedral in
February 2003.
He became a patron of the Friends of Cathedral Music in the same year.
He was educated at Dynevor Secondary School and then at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he
read theology.
After research in Oxford he spent two years as a lecturer at Mirfield Theological College near
Leeds.
From 1976 he spent nine years in academic and parochial work in Cambridge.
From 1986 - 1992 Dr Williams was Professor of Theology at Oxford.
He was enthroned Bishop of Monmouth in 1992 and as Archbishop of Wales in 2000.
He is a Fellow of the British Academy and his interests include music, fiction and
languages.
The Archbishop of Westminster
The Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent
Nichols was born in Crosby, Liverpool in 1945 and received his secondary education at St
Mary's College. He went on to study for the priesthood at the Venerable English College in
Rome gaining licentiates in philosophy and theology at the Gregorian University. He was
ordained priest in Rome in 1969 for the Archdiocese of Liverpool. After obtaining
an MA in theology at Manchester University in 1971 he was appointed assistant priest in
St Mary's Parish, Wigan. In 1974 he was awarded MEd by Loyola University, Chicago and then
appointed to St Anne's Parish in Toxteth, Liverpool in 1975 with special responsbility for
education. In 1980 he was appointed Director of the Upholland Northern Institute, the diocesan pastoral
and education centre. In 1984 he was appointed General Secretary of the Bishops'
Conference for the Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland.
Mgr Nichols was appointed Auxiliary Bishop to Westminster with responsbility for North London
in 1992 and represented the European Bishops at the 1998 Synod of Bishops from Oceania before being
appointed to the Synod of Bishops of Europe in 1999 as a special secretary. In 2000 Bishop
Nichols was appointed Archbishop of Birmingham and in 2001 chair of the management board of the
Catholic Office of Children and Vulnerable Adults.
He was installed as Archbishop of Westminster at a service in Westminster Cathedral
on 21 May 2009. He has confirmed his willingness to continue as joint Patron of the Friends
of Cathedral Music after the retirement of his predecessor Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.
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