General Enquiries

Dear Colleagues - could you share how you appoint your civic chaplain? For a number of years we have had the same Council Chaplain and this person is now due for retirement. Do you consult with the clergy in the vicinity to see if anyone would like to take on this role or do you rely on the Chairman/Mayor to appoint their own Chaplain year on year.
Thank you Clare

In my experience the Chaplain has always been the personal choice of the civic head and has thus changed year on year. One role of a chaplain is to be a support to and confidante of the civic head - so the relationship is necessarily personal.
I hope that helps.
Regards
Phil O'Brien

Hi Clare,

Our practice is as described by Phil. Each Mayor chooses their Chaplain so they change each year. I've not come across a Mayor yet who hasn't wanted to appoint one, or couldn't find someone, but it occurs to me that we might suggest one of our Council's "industrial" chaplains if need be, or the Council's inter-faith group.

Regards,

Jane

At South Ribble, our Mayor chooses his/her own chaplain. They also have the choice not to have a chaplain if they don't want. This year is the first time we have had a Mayor that has said he doesn't want a dedicated chaplain. He did opt for a civic sunday service using the local church and has said that he would ask various ministers from different faiths to say prayers before the council meetings.

Dear Clare,

Like other replies, we change our chaplain annually. It is usually the Mayor's choice and their local vicar. This year we have our first Muslim Mayor and she has chosen a lecturer and friend from the local University and he does a reading before each Council meeting.
Best,
Michelle