Former Executive Officer Of Anglican Communion Dies
Episcopal News Service. September 3, 1987 [87177]
COLUMBIA, S.C. (DPS, Sept. 3) -- The Rt. Rev. Ralph S. Dean, 74, retired Anglican Bishop of Cariboo and Archbishop of British Columbia and the Yukon and former Executive Officer of the Anglican Communion, died here on Aug. 23.
Dean was born in London, England. After some years in business, he trained for the ministry at London College of Divinity, graduating from the University of London with the degrees of Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Theology. After serving curacies in a London slum area and in an urban parish, Dean returned to his theological college as chaplain and then as vice principal. In 1951, he was appointed principal of Emmanuel College, Saskatoon, and in November 1956 he was elected Bishop of Cariboo.
Dean was responsible for planning the program of the Anglican Congress in 1963. In 1964, at the request of the Archbishop of Canterbury and with the support of the Primate of Canada, Dean became the second executive officer of the Anglican Communion (succeeding Bishop Stephen Bayne). He was granted a leave of absence from his diocese for five years to fulfill this post. Based in London, Dean traveled extensively, representing the Archbishop of Canterbury, visiting no fewer than 56 countries in every part of the world. He was also responsible for planning the 1968 Lambeth Conference.
In 1969, Dean returned to his diocese and, in 1971, he was elected archbishop and metropolitan of the ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and Yukon. He also became a founder member of the Anglican Consultative Council, representing the Anglican Church of Canada.
In 1973, Dean resigned as archbishop and accepted a call from Christ Church, Greenville, S.C., serving as teacher, writer and lecturer. In 1979, he became rector of Church of the Redeemer, Greenville. He retired from that post in 1981 to devote his time to writing his memoirs and assisting the Bishop of Upper South Carolina.
Dean is survived by his wife. For the last several years, they have lived at the South Carolina Episcopal Home at Still Hopes in West Columbia.
A Requiem Eucharist was celebrated on Aug. 27 in Christ Church, Greenville.