Mark Beach | |
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Dean of Rochester | |
Church | Church of England |
Diocese | Rochester |
In office | 2012–2015 |
Predecessor | Adrian Newman |
Successor | Philip Hesketh |
Personal details | |
Born | 1962 (age 61–62) |
Denomination | Anglican |
Spouse | Annabel |
Children | 1 daughter |
Mark Howard Francis Beach (born 1962) is a priest of the Church of England. He was the Dean of Rochester Cathedral from 2012 to January 2015 [1] when he became the director of Blackfriars Settlement. [2]
Beach grew up in Staffordshire. [3] He studied theology at the University of Kent for his BA degree in 1980 [4] and completed an MA degree in mission and ministry studies at the University of Nottingham in 1995. [4] At King's College London he completed a University of London doctorate in ministry (DMin) in 2011. [4] [1] Beach came out to his father as gay when he was 17 but was told "no son of mine is gay" so he went on to marry a woman. [5]
Beach trained for ordained ministry at St Stephen's House from 1985 to 1987. [4] His curacy was at St John the Baptist, Beeston. He then served a second curacy at Hucknall Torkard in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham. He then moved to the parish of Gedling, a few miles away in the same diocese, as rector from 1993 to 2001. [1] He was the bishop's chaplain in the Diocese of Wakefield from 2001 to 2003 before going to Rugby, Warwickshire, as a team rector. [1] He left Rugby in 2012 to take up the appointment of Dean of Rochester. [1] [6] In January 2015 it was announced that he had resigned from this position because of issues regarding his marriage break-up. [7]
In late January the Bishop of Rochester announced that "Beach is taking on a new role outside ordained ministry, and has been appointed to the post of director of the Blackfriars Settlement." [8] In October 2018, he appeared on the Channel 4 programme First Dates Hotel. [5] He revealed on the show that his marriage broke down after he came out to his wife and daughter. [5]
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