All Saints Church rector Oliver Coss appointed as new rural dean of Greater Northampton

The new rural dean of Greater Northampton says he is looking forward to championing the town after being formally licenced by the Bishop of Peterborough today (Friday, October 15).

Father Oliver Coss has taken over the reins from Reverend Canon Beverley Hollins to look after the deanery on behalf of the bishop and support the churches and clergy members.

The rector of All Saints Church was formally appointed at a gathering of rural deans from across the diocese at Launde Abbey in Leicestershire after being nominated by his peers.

"It's nice to feel I have the confidence of my boss, the bishop, and my peers as well who presumably think I would do a good job," he told the Chronicle & Echo.

"It's easy to speak up for Northampton, we may be going through tough times but there's so much potential there and you don't need to furrow far below the surface to find it.

"I want to be an advocate for the place, get good clergy running good churches and be at the heart of the community."

The Diocese of Peterborough's Greater Northampton deanery covers the town as well as a few of the nearby villages such as Hardingstone and Moulton.

Fr Coss' job will be to 'be the bishop's man' in the dean as well as having responsibility for the pastoral care of all its clergy members and co-chairing its synod, or meeting.

The new rural dean paid tribute to Revd Hollins, the rector at St Peter's Church in Weston Favell, saying he had 'a big pair of shoes to fill' after her 'excellent' service as rural dean.

"Beverley was really good, she was rural dean during most of what we know as Covi and kept us together and looked after so I'm very grateful to her for that care and concern for her fellow clergy," he said.

"I've been in Northampton for five years and I've always known Beverley as rural dean so I'm pleased for her to focus on her parish and give it everything she's got but it's a difference for us all."

Fr Coss said it was an 'interesting' time to be taking over as rural dean with the town still enduring and starting to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

'Renewal' seems to be the watchwood, the vicar added, with West Northamptonshire Council getting on with spending the £24.9-million government grant to rejuvenate the town centre.

"To have a vibrant town, I believe you need to have vibrant churches working beside people, not just food banks and providing support, which are important, but also adding something," he said.

"So in the efforts to renew the town, you already have allies in church as we want people to do well and be prosperous and be there when times are tough - I think that's important."