New Dean for Wakefield and Pontefract

Posted on: 6th November 2026

Bishop Marcus has appointed Fr Sean Crawley as the new Vicar Forane (Dean) of the Wakefield and Pontefract Deanery.

Fr Sean is from Leeds and is Parish Priest of St Austin and the English Martyrs in Wakefield and St Ignatius in Ossett, and is also a Catholic Chaplain to HMP Wakefield.

As a student, first at Valladolid and later at the Venerable English College in Rome, Fr Sean’s fine singing voice made him the favourite Cantor at Holy Mass of the late Pope Benedict XVI.

Fr Sean was ordained to the priesthood in July 2015 and is now our youngest Dean in the Diocese of Leeds – although, as a former Bishop’s Private Secretary and Assistant Dean at Leeds Cathedral, he will be no stranger to the extra administrative and organisational responsibilities his new role entails!

Congratulations to The Very Revd Fr Sean Crawley, VF!