Weekend with Westminster Abbey featuring
The Rev. Dr. James Hawkey and
Dean's Verger Martin Castledine
Sept. 6-8, 2025
THE REV. DR. JAMES HAWKEY
The Reverend Dr. Jamie Hawkey is Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey, and Chair of the Westminster Abbey Institute. He is a Chaplain to HM The King, having first been appointed a Chaplain to HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2017. Canon Hawkey is also a Bye-Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, and a Visiting Professor in Theology at King’s College, London. Born and educated in Sussex, he read theology at Cambridge before proceeding to the MPhil and PhD degrees as a Gosden Scholar of Selwyn College.
Ordained deacon in 2007 and priest in 2008, much of his current teaching and research is in ecclesiology and ecumenical theology. He trained for the priesthood at Westcott House, spent a semester at the Angelicum University in Rome, and served his curacy in inner-city Portsmouth, at St Mary’s Portsea. He was appointed Minor Canon and Sacrist of Westminster Abbey in 2010, becoming Precentor in December 2013. In 2015, he was appointed Dean and Director of Studies in Theology at Clare College, Cambridge, where he taught both undergraduates and postgraduates for the Cambridge Divinity Faculty and Theological Federation. Alongside work in Cambridge, he became Assistant Director of Ordinands for the Diocese of Ely in 2016.
Dr. Hawkey has been a member of the International Reformed/Anglican Dialogue, and continues to work with the Malines Conversations Group. His commentary on the latest agreed statement of the Anglican/Roman Catholic International Commission was published by SPCK in 2018, and current projects include further writing on ecclesiology and ecumenism. Amongst other commitments, Dr. Hawkey is a member of the Church of England’s Faith and Order Commission, a Governor of the Anglican Centre in Rome, an advisor to the Center for Empathy in International Affairs, a member of the Church of England’s Estates Theology Group, and of the Editorial Advisory Board for the International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church. For the academic year 2022/23, he was a Professore Invitato in the Faculty of Theology at the Pontificia Università Gregoriana in Rome, a post he shall take up again in 2024/2.
MR. MARTIN CASTLEDINE
Mr. Martin Castledine is Dean’s Verger at Westminster Abbey. Having recently celebrated his 40th anniversary of being a verger, Mr. Castledine’s resume includes some truly extraordinary experiences. Mr. Castledine began his ministry and career as a verger at the age of 16 at Coventry Cathedral. With his title of Assistant Verger, Mr. Castledine was officially the youngest verger in the country at that time.
After his time serving at Coventry Cathedral, Mr. Castledine’s ministry as an Assistant Verger continued at Southwark Cathedral in south London. During his tenure there, he was appointed Canons’ Verger and led in the stead of the Head Verger in his absence.
In the mid-nineties, Mr. Castledine was offered the opportunity to serve as Head Verger at Bristol Cathedral. Only 29 years old, Mr. Castledine again held the title of the youngest Head Verger in the country at that time. He made history in other areas of his ministry as well, taking part in the ordination of the very first group of women to be ordained priests in the Church of England.
The early 2000s brought Mr. Castledine to the role of Custos at Winchester Cathedral. His stewardship at one of England’s oldest foundation cathedrals helped pave the way to his current post of Dean’s Verger at Westminster Abbey. In his time at the Abbey, Mr. Castledine has been blessed to participate in truly amazing and varied services. From the daily round of quiet service to national and international services, he’s witnessed and assisted at four different Presidential State visits from the USA, the 2010 State and ecumenical visit of Pope Benedict XVI, the 2011 Royal Wedding of the now Prince and Princess of Wales, the 2022 State funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and, most recently, the Coronation of King Charles III.
One truth that has shown itself through Mr. Castledine’s work at various cathedrals is this: though all the cathedrals work in different ways, be it liturgy or management, the common goal is the proclamation of the Good News.
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