We are delighted to announce that the Acting Bishop of Leeds has appointed The Revd Canon Jonathan Triffitt, currently serving as Director of Ministry and Mission and Deputy Diocesan Secretary (Bishop’s Missioner) in the Diocese of Salisbury, as Interim Dean of Bradford for a period of three years.
Canon Jonathan will be licenced on Sunday 1st March at 3.00pm at Bradford Cathedral, with Acting Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Revd Dr Toby Howarth officiating.
The Acting Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Revd Dr Toby Howarth, said:
‘I am delighted that we are welcoming Canon Jonathan back home to the city in which he was born and grew up. He brings great gifts, experience and a pastoral heart to Bradford Cathedral, to the City and District, to our College of Deans and to
the senior leadership of the Leeds Diocese. Please pray with me for Jonathan, his wife Joanne and their family in this time of transition.’
Canon Jonathan Triffitt said:
‘I am deeply grateful and humbled to be appointed Interim Dean of Bradford and delighted to be returning to my home city. I look forward to serving the Cathedral and the communities it exists to serve, reconnecting with familiar faces and forming new relationships across Bradford and the wider Diocese. I am very much looking forward to working alongside Cathedral colleagues and fellow deans, as together we serve the life and mission of the Church across the Diocese of Leeds. I am also profoundly thankful to the Diocese of Salisbury, whose formation and encouragement have prepared me to respond to God’s call to this role.’
Canon Jonathan will join the Cathedral team in March. Further details will follow in due course.
Revd Canon Jonathan Triffitt – Biography
Jonathan grew up in Bradford and came to faith at St Augustine’s Church, where his vocation to ministry was first nurtured. He currently serves as Director of Mission & Ministry and Deputy Diocesan Secretary (Bishop’s Missioner) for the Diocese of Salisbury, a role he has held since 2020, with responsibility for shaping and supporting mission and ministry across the Diocese of Salisbury.
Prior to this, Jonathan’s ministry included parish leadership as Rector of Blandford Forum, Vicar of Southbroom in Devizes, and Associate Vicar of Sherborne Abbey, alongside his role as Chaplain to The Gryphon School. He was ordained in the Diocese of London, serving his curacy at St Luke’s, West Kilburn, and trained for ordained ministry at St John’s College, Nottingham.
Before ordination, Jonathan worked in early years education, with a particular focus on children aged two to three. Jonathan is married to Joanne, who works for Safe Families, and together they share a deep commitment to building community, often expressed through hospitality. They have two grown-up children. Outside of work, Jonathan is a passionate supporter of Bradford City, and he and Joanne enjoy exploring the Yorkshire Dales, discovering fine ales, cooking, and getting lost in a
good book.