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Anglican

Anglicans form the family of Christians closely related to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Whilst tracing their inheritance back to Christ and the earliest Christians and to the ancient Roman Catholic church, the sixteenth century Reformation was a crucial moment for Anglicanism.

Bishop

‘Bishop’ comes from the Greek word for ‘overseer’. So a bishop is a senior Christian minister authorised to have oversight for God’s people. As well as duties given to deacons and priests, bishops confirm and ordain.

Diocese

‘Diocese’ refers to the geographical territory in which a bishop exercises oversight. The Church in Wales is divided into six dioceses each with its own cathedral in which is housed the cathedra (the bishop’s ‘chair’ or ‘throne’).

Holy Communion

At Holy Communion blessed bread and wine is shared, by which we receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The congregation gives thanks for Jesus’ life, his death and resurrection and his continuing presence. See also Eucharist.

Home News A New Archdeacon for Wrexham

A New Archdeacon for Wrexham

Provincial news Posted: 8 July 2026

A new Archdeacon of Wrexham has been announced.

The Revd Dr Emma Whittick will be installed as the new Archdeacon of Wrexham at a special service on 27 September. Her appointment was announced by the Bishop of St Asaph in his July Ad Clerum, a monthly letter to clergy.

Emma is currently Chaplain to the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, John Lomas, a former Archdeacon of Wrexham himself. She also ministers in Brecon Cathedral, and has been one of the new Church in Wales Royal Chaplains appointed earlier this year.

Announcing Emma’s selection as the new Archdeacon of Wrexham, the Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, said: “Emma brings outstanding gifts to her ministry, and will complement the excellent leadership team that we have here in St Asaph.”

An archdeacon assists the bishop in the oversight of the diocese and leads the churches in their archdeaconry. Emma will look after the Archdeaconry of Wrexham which includes the city of Wrexham and stretches north to Deeside. To the east it includes churches along the Welsh/English border and to the west, churches in Coedpoeth, Llanferres and Mold.

The city of Wrexham includes the diocese’s mission Resource Church, Hope Street. It opened during the pandemic in the former Burton clothes store in the centre of Wrexham and recently celebrated its fifth birthday. Later this year, Hope Street will support the opening of a second Resource Church in St Tudfil’s in Coedpoeth. Just over the road from Hope Street is the historic St Giles’ Church, described as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales. It is experiencing growth as a Mission Hub Church with a focus on music and the re-establishment of a choir.

Emma said: “I’m excited to be joining the Teulu Asaph at this time and I’m looking forward to encouraging, supporting and working with the churches and communities in the Archdeaconry of Wrexham. I sense we have two particular tasks ahead of us: to nurture the faith that is already there, and at the same time, boldly to proclaim the Gospel afresh to those who have not yet heard it.”

Emma joins Andy Grimwood and Gerwyn Capon as Archdeacons in the Diocese. Andy is Archdeacon of St Asaph and Gerwyn is Archdeacon of Montgomery.

Emma grew up in Didcot, near Oxford, and went to Aberystwyth University to study mathematics. She came to faith while at university and began her formal ministry as a licensed Lay Evangelist, serving the churches and communities in and around Aberystwyth. She is a fluent Welsh speaker. After ordination, she served her title in Dafen and Felinfoel, in Llanelli, in the Diocese of St Davids. She then joined the University Chaplaincy at the University of Wales Trinity Saint Davids, based on the Lampeter and Carmarthen campuses, before becoming Chaplain to the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon.

The service to install Emma as the new Archdeacon of Wrexham will take place on the afternoon of Sunday 27 September in St Asaph Cathedral. More details will follow.

The Diocese of St Asaph is one of the six dioceses in the Church in Wales, an autonomous province in the worldwide Anglican Communion.