Catherine Ogle became Dean of Birmingham (The Very Revd Catherine Ogle, Dean of Birmingham) in September 2010, the third woman to be appointed as Dean in the Church of England.
She leads the Anglican Cathedral and supports the Bishop of Birmingham in his mission in the city and region as a member of his core staff.
‘Our small but beautiful Cathedral, set at the heart of a busy and demanding city context serves a diocese of great diversity and opportunity, ‘ says the Dean. ‘We are always seeking ways to contribute to the public life of the city and promote the common good.’
She was previously Vicar of Huddersfield, a large town centre Parish Church. During this time she became a Canon of Wakefield Cathedral and served on the College Council of the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield. She chaired the award winning ‘Interfaith Kirklees’ Schools project (enabling five major faith communities to open their doors to schools) from its founding in 2004.
Catherine was trained for ordained ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge and served as a deacon for seven years before being one of the first women to be ordained as priest in the Church of England in 1994, at Ripon Cathedral. She served her curacy at St Mary, Middleton, in South Leeds and then took up an appointment at BBC Radio Leeds as Religious Affair Editor. In 1994 she became Vicar of three villages outside Barnsley and the editor of the Wakefield Diocesan newspaper.
Catherine is married to Robin Goater, an accountant, and they have one adult son, Thomas.
Catherine’s first degree was in Textile Design, from the University of Leeds, where she was also awarded an MPhil degree in Textile Management (from a study of cycles in fashion). She is a graduate of the University of Cambridge (Theology MA) and also holds an MA in Theology from the University of Leeds.