We are delighted to announce that the Revd Dr Sean Doherty will be the next principal of Trinity College. The announcement was made today to students at college, with the opportunity afterward to meet and chat with Sean and his wife, Gaby.
Sean has served as Tutor in Ethics at St Mellitus College in London for the last eight years and as Director of Studies for the last four.
He was ordained in St Paul’s Cathedral and served in the Diocese of London as curate in Cricklewood. He, Gaby, and their children then moved to become part of a church plant on a council estate in North Kensington. They live opposite Grenfell Tower; Gaby has written Grenfell Hope, a book about their experience of the fire and the impact it had on them and their community.
In his academic career, Sean has focused on a wide range of ethical issues, and has written an ethics series entitled The Only Way is Ethics. He has contributed to the ongoing debate on human sexuality across the church as a member of the General Synod and through the Living in Love and Faith process. He brings to this conversation his commitment to the value of learning through honest dialogue among differing perspectives.
Sean is very much looking forward to joining the Trinity community. “I had heard through Emma Ineson about some of the exciting things going on at Trinity, especially its kingdom ethos. I’m delighted to join a community that places such value on the formation of the whole person. You get that best through community—a community that is open to the Holy Spirit.”
He adds: “It has been a wonderful surprise to Gaby and me to find God calling us to this. We trained together residentially at Wycliffe Hall, and that was a powerful time in our lives—we were engaged, married, and had our first child during our time there, and we experienced all the support and encouragement of life in community.”
Trinity’s departing principal Revd Dr Emma Ineson says of Sean, “I have known Sean for a number of years, having been part of various groups together, both in connection with General Synod and within the TEI sector. Sean brings with him a wealth of experience in theological education, which will be invaluable to Trinity in the coming years. He is someone who will understand and embrace Trinity’s kingdom vision. He is a gifted academic and is well known and respected in the wider Church of England, and in various other networks. Above all, Sean has a gentle and humble nature, a pastor’s heart, and a passion to share in the formation of leaders for the church. I am excited to see what God will do through Trinity under Sean’s leadership over the coming years.”
In his spare time, Sean enjoys running, reading detective fiction, and playing the piano. He and Gaby have four children who can’t wait to explore Bristol.
Please do join us in praying for the Doherty family as they transition to life in Bristol and at Trinity.
–From the Bishop of Lewes, Richard Jackson, Chair of Trustees
