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Mark Beach
Mark Howard Francis Beach (born 1962) is a priest of the Church of England. He was the Dean of Rochester Cathedral from 2012 to January 2015 [1] when he became the director of Blackfriars Settlement.[2] Early life and educationBeach grew up in Staffordshire.[3] Following school at Ellesmere College, he studied theology at the University of Kent for his BA degree in 1980[4] and completed an MA degree in mission and ministry studies at the University of Nottingham in 1995.[4] At King's College London he completed a University of London doctorate in ministry (DMin) in 2011.[4][1] Beach came out to his father as gay when he was 17 but was told "no son of mine is gay" so he went on to marry a woman.[5] Ordained ministryBeach trained for ordained ministry at St Stephen's House from 1985 to 1987.[4] His curacy was at St John the Baptist, Beeston. He then served a second curacy at Hucknall Torkard in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham. He then moved to the parish of Gedling, a few miles away in the same diocese, as rector from 1993 to 2001.[1] He was the bishop's chaplain in the Diocese of Wakefield from 2001 to 2003 before going to Rugby, Warwickshire, as a team rector.[1] He left Rugby in 2012 to take up the appointment of Dean of Rochester.[1][6] In January 2015 it was announced that he had resigned from this position because of issues regarding his marriage break-up.[7] Post resignationIn late January the Bishop of Rochester announced that "Beach is taking on a new role outside ordained ministry, and has been appointed to the post of director of the Blackfriars Settlement."[8] In October 2018, he appeared on the Channel 4 programme First Dates Hotel.[5] He revealed on the show that his marriage broke down after he came out to his wife and daughter.[5] Styles
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