The Very Reverend of a cathedral, whether a dean or a provost, is usually styled as "The Very Reverend" regardless of whether the priest is also the rector of the cathedral parish, or whether the cathedral is a parish church. In the Episcopal Church USA, the dean of a seminary or divinity school is also styled in this form, as is the priest who is either appointed by the local bishop or elected by fellow priests as the leader of a deanery, which is a geographic subdivision of a diocese. In some Episcopal dioceses convocation is used in lieu of deanery. The deans
Dedications in the Church of England Dedications in the Church of England The vast majority of the 16,500 churches in the Church of England are dedicated to one or more people. Most are dedicated to a single 'patron saint', such as Saint Peter or The Virgin Mary, or one of the persons of God, such as Holy Trinity, Christ Church, or The Good Shepherd. Others commemorate Christian events such as the Assumption of Mary or Ascension of Jesus. All churches are dedicated to God, but certainly by the fourth century it was common practice to dedicate a Christian place of worship to one or more patron