Thomas Shane Forster (born 1972) is a Northern Ireland

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

priest. Since February 2021, he has been

Dean of Armagh The Dean of Armagh in the Church of Ireland is the Dean (Christianity), dean of the St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Church of Ireland), Anglican St Patrick's Cathedral, the cathedral of the Diocese of Armagh (Church of Ireland), Diocese of Armag ...

, the senior priest of St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh and the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

Diocese of Armagh The Diocese of Armagh is the metropolitan diocese of the ecclesiastical province of Armagh, the Church of Ireland province that covers the northern half (approximately) of the island of Ireland. The diocese mainly covers counties Louth, Ty ...

Early life and education

Forster was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, Northern Ireland in 1971. He was educated at Downey House Preparatory and the Methodist College, a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

in Belfast. He studied at

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(BA) degree in 1993. He trained for ordination at the

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and studied at Trinity College Dublin, graduating with a Bachelor of Theology (BTh) degree in 1996. He later continued his studies and graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

(MPhil) degree in 2005.

Ordained ministry

Forster was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

in the

as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in 1996 and as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in 1997. He was ordained to the priesthood during a service at St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh. He served his curacy in Drumglass Parish,

Dungannon Dungannon () is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 14,340 at the 2011 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council had its headquarters in the ...

, County Tyrone from 1996 to 1999. He was additionally appointed

domestic chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...

to the

Archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

in 1997: he has served as chaplain to four successive archbishops. Having completed his curacy, in 1999, he was appointed rector of the parochial group of Donaghmore and Donaghmore Upper. In 2006, he moved parishes and became rector of St Mark's Church, Ballymore in Tandragee, County Armagh. He was additionally made a canon of

St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Saint Patrick's Cathedral ( ir, Ard-Eaglais Naomh Pádraig) in Dublin, Ireland, founded in 1191 as a Roman Catholic cathedral, is currently the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. Christ Church Cathedral, also a Church of Ireland ca ...

. In December 2020, it was announced that Forster would be the next dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh. He was conferred as

on 14 February 2021 during a service held on

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due to the

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. He was installed at the cathedral during a service on 12 September 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forster, Shane 1972 births Living people Deans of Armagh People educated at Methodist College Belfast Alumni of Queen's University Belfast Alumni of the Church of Ireland Theological Institute Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Clergy from Belfast