Raymond Jackson Pentland, CB, QHC (born 14 July 1957) is a British Church of England priest. He is a retired military chaplain, having served as Chaplain-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force and head of its Chaplains Branch from 2009 to 2014.
Ray Pentland | |
---|---|
Born | Greenock, Scotland | 14 July 1957
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | Royal Air Force (1990–2014) Royal Auxiliary Air Force (2014–present) |
Years of service | 1990–present |
Rank | Air Vice Marshal |
Service number | 5207651M |
Commands held | Chaplains Branch |
Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath |
Pentland was born on 14 July 1957 in Greenock, Scotland, to Adam Jackson Pentland and Edith Henderson Pentland.[1][2] He was educated at Cowdenknowes High School.[1]
Pentland attended the William Booth Memorial Training College from 1977.[2] Upon graduation in 1979, he became an Officer of The Salvation Army.[1] He served in number of inner city locations throughout the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1986.[2][1]
In 1986, Pentland left The Salvation Army to enter St John's College, Nottingham and train for ordination into the Church of England.[2] He was ordained a deacon in 1988, in Southwell Minster, Nottinghamshire.[1][2] He then became Assistant Curate of St. Jude's Church, Mapperley, Nottingham.[2] He was ordained a priest in 1989.[1]
In 1990, Pentland attended the Specialist Entrant and Re-entrant Course at RAF Cranwell.[2] On 26 August 1990, he was commissioned into the Chaplains Branch of the Royal Air Force as a chaplain with the relative rank of flight lieutenant. He was given the service number 5207651M.[3] On 26 August 1991, he was promoted to the relative rank of squadron leader.[4] He transferred from a short service commission to a permanent commission on 1 November 1993.[5] As part of the half-yearly promotions, he was promoted to the relative rank of wing commander on 1 January 2003.[6]
Pentland was member of the House of Clergy in the General Synod of the Church of England from 2005 to 2014.[7] On 27 March 2006, he was appointed Principal Anglican Chaplain, Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force and Honorary Chaplain to the Queen (QHC).[8] He was also made an Honorary Canon of Lincoln Cathedral.[7] On 1 April 2009, he was selected to succeed Peter Mills as Chaplain-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force: he took up the appointment on 1 October in addition to his role as Archdeacon, becoming the 21st Chaplain in Chief.[2] In the 2013 New Year Honours, he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).[9]
Pentland retired in 2014, and was succeeded as Chaplain-in-Chief by Jonathan Chaffey.[7][10]
Having retired from full-time ministry when he retired from the Royal Air Force in 2014, Pentland held permission to officiate in the Dioceses of Oxford and of London from 2014 to 2019.[11][12] He continues his link with the military, having transferred his commission from the RAF to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) on 24 November 2014 in the rank of air commodore.[13] From 2015 to 2018, he also served as an honorary assistant curate at St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe and St James Garlickhythe.[14] From 2019 to 2021, he was a non-stipendiary minister at Holy Trinity Church, Aylesbury in the Diocese of Oxford.[14][12] Since 2021, he has held permission to officiate in the Diocese of Lichfield.[12]
In 1979, Pentland married Christine Ann Lyth.[1] Together they have one son, Jackson, (born Adam) and one daughter, Elizabeth.[2]