LIMERICK:The first female dean of St Mary's Cathedral in Limerick was installed last night.
There have been 61 deans of Limerick since the building of St Mary’s Cathedral in 1168, and Rev Sandra Pragnell is the first female in the Church of Ireland cathedral’s long history.
Rev Pragnell has been rector of the Dundalk group of parishes since 2005. She is now dean of Limerick and rector of Limerick city parish.
She has also chaired the Archbishop of Dublin’s working group on combating racism and co-authored the report Welcoming Angels.
At present she is studying for a doctorate in ministry at Milltown Institute in Dublin.
Bishop Trevor Williams performed last night’s installation and institution service.
The preacher was the Rt Rev Alan Harper, recently retired archbishop of Armagh.