Simon Mark Aiken
Encyclopedia
Simon Mark Aiken is the 12th Dean of Kimberley and Rector of St Cyprian's Cathedral, Kimberley
St Cyprian's Cathedral, Kimberley
The Cathedral Church of St Cyprian the Martyr, Kimberley, is the seat of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman, Anglican Church of Southern Africa. It became a Cathedral when the Synod of Bishops gave a mandate for the formation of the new Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman in...

, in the Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. His diocesan responsibilities include his appointments as the Archdeacon of the Karoo and as Titular Rector of St Mary's, Barkly West, as well as his role as Canon Missioner for the diocese. Born in England in 1962, he went to South Africa in 2006, initially as Subdean at Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...

 Cathedral.

Early career

Aiken qualified with a Master of Theology degree from St Andrew's University (1985) and a Certificate in Theology from Ripon College Cuddesdon
Ripon College Cuddesdon
Ripon College Cuddesdon is a Church of England theological college in Cuddesdon, a village outside Oxford, England.-History:Ripon College Cuddesdon was formed from an amalgamation in 1975 of Cuddesdon College and Ripon Hall...

, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

 (1986-1988).

He was ordained Deacon (1988) and Priest (1989) in the Diocese of Blackburn
Diocese of Blackburn
The Diocese of Blackburn is a Church of England diocese, covering much of Lancashire, created in 1926 from part of the Diocese of Manchester. The Diocese includes the towns of Blackburn, Blackpool, Burnley, and the cities of Lancaster, and Preston, as well as a large part of the Ribble Valley...

.

Aiken served curacies, 1988-1994, at St Matthew with Holy Trinity, Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....

, and St Anne’s at St Annes-on-Sea. Subsequently he was Vicar respectively at St Thomas the Apostle, Musbury
Musbury
Musbury is a village and civil parish in the East Devon district of Devon, England. It lies approximately 2 miles away from Colyton and 2.5 miles away from Axminster, the nearest towns. Musbury is served by the A358 road and lies on the route of the East Devon Way, a 40-mile footpath following the...

, Helmshore
Helmshore
Helmshore is a village in the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire, England. It is situated south of Haslingden, broadly between the A56 and the B6235, approximately 16 miles north of Manchester.- Early history :...

 (1994-1999), and at St Lawrence with St Paul, Longridge
Longridge
Longridge is a small town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is situated north-east of the city of Preston, at the western end of Longridge Fell, a long ridge above the River Ribble. Its nearest neighbours are Grimsargh and the Roman town of Ribchester , ...

, north east of the city of Preston (1999-2006).

An early interest in liturgy led Aiken to researching and revising the Compline
Compline
Compline is the final church service of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St...

 rite for his Theological College and to subsequent engagements in devising liturgies for many contexts and occasions at Parish and Diocesan levels.

Aiken became involved with the Royal School of Church Music
Royal School of Church Music
The largest church music organisation in Britain, the Royal School of Church Music was founded in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson and has 11,000 members worldwide; it was originally named the School of English Church Music. It seeks to enable church music in the present and invest in its future,...

 both regionally and at a national level in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, being chaplain for the annual Easter course at Rossall School
Rossall School
Rossall School is a British, co-educational, independent school, between Cleveleys and Fleetwood, Lancashire. Rossall was founded in 1844 by St. Vincent Beechey as a sister school to Marlborough College which had been founded the previous year...

 over a period of 11 years. He is himself a singer and he plays the organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...

 and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

.

South Africa

Aiken went to South Africa in 2006 to become the Subdean at the Cathedral of St Andrew and St Michael in Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...

 in the Diocese of the Free State
Anglican Diocese of the Free State
The Anglican Diocese of the Free State is a diocese in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.-History:The first service North of the Orange River to be taken by an Anglican clergyman was conducted in 1850 by Robert Gray, the first Bishop of Cape Town. In 1863, Edward Twells was consecrated the...

 – a Diocese having a link relationship with the Diocese of Blackburn
Diocese of Blackburn
The Diocese of Blackburn is a Church of England diocese, covering much of Lancashire, created in 1926 from part of the Diocese of Manchester. The Diocese includes the towns of Blackburn, Blackpool, Burnley, and the cities of Lancaster, and Preston, as well as a large part of the Ribble Valley...

.

In 2009 he was invited by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba
Thabo Makgoba
Thabo Cecil Makgoba is the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town. He had served in the past as Bishop of Grahamstown.-Biography:...

 to be Champion for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa’s Liturgical Transformation Task Team.

As in England, Aiken was soon integrating musical endeavours with the theological and liturgical aspects of the life of the cathedral and he was instrumental in forming a new Free State branch of the Royal School of Church Music
Royal School of Church Music
The largest church music organisation in Britain, the Royal School of Church Music was founded in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson and has 11,000 members worldwide; it was originally named the School of English Church Music. It seeks to enable church music in the present and invest in its future,...

 centred in Bloemfontein. He forged links between the cathedral and academic institutions in the city, formally as Anglican Chaplain to the University of the Free State
University of the Free State
The University of the Free State is situated in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State, South Africa. The university also has a satellite campus in Qwaqwa that was, until 2003, part of the University of the North.-Academic Divisions:...

 and the Central University of Technology
Central University of Technology
Central University of Technology, Free State or Central University of Technology is a University of Technology in Bloemfontein in the Free State province of South Africa. It was established in 1981 as "Technikon Free State". As part of the South African government's restructuring of tertiary...

, as well as through the fostering of musical connections.

Aiken enrolled for a PhD at the University of the Free State, to study African liturgical music.

Kimberley Cathedral

In 2010 Aiken was invited to be Dean of Kimberley and was installed by Bishop Oswald Swartz of the Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman at St Cyprian's Cathedral
St Cyprian's Cathedral, Kimberley
The Cathedral Church of St Cyprian the Martyr, Kimberley, is the seat of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman, Anglican Church of Southern Africa. It became a Cathedral when the Synod of Bishops gave a mandate for the formation of the new Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman in...

 on 6 November.

In his first sermon as dean, Aiken quoted Archbishop William Temple
William Temple
William Temple may refer to:* William Temple * Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet , 17th century British politician, employer of Jonathan Swift...

 to remind his listeners that "the Church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members." He spoke of his vision to nurture a generous and welcoming spirit at the cathedral which serves not just its own parish but also the wider City of Kimberley and the diocese.

Fr Simon Aiken has described himself as being "a very embryonic student of Afrikaans" ("what can I say but 'ek probeer' - I try") while having a more fluent command of Sesotho
Sesotho language
The Sotho language, also known as Sesotho, Southern Sotho, or Southern Sesotho, is a Bantu language spoken primarily in South Africa, where it is one of the 11 official languages, and in Lesotho, where it is the national language...

.

External links

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