PEMBROKESHIRE'S new Archdeacon, Ven. Dr John Holdsworth, will be taking up office this week. At special services in Steynton and St. David's he will be introduced to his new spheres of work as Vicar of Steynton and Archdeacon of St. David's.

John comes to this new work after six years as Principal of the Church's Training College, St. Michaels in Llandaff. Prior to that he was a parish priest for 25 years alongside several other interests.

For 10 years (1988-98) he worked with HTV Wales' religious affairs department, helping to develop and present such series as Wales on Sunday, Perspectives, Face to Faith, and God Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll. One of the programmes he presented, Wine Women and Evensong, won a prize at the 1995 New York Film Festival.

He is a regular contributor still to BBC Radio Wales, counts broadcasting as one of his interests, and has been appointed head of the embryo communications unit of St. David's Diocese. His book Communication and the Gospel, published by Darton Longman and Todd, appears on July 14 this year.

Whilst at Cardiff, John was part of the teaching staff in the Religious and Theological Studies department, and latterly was Dean of Theology. He has just returned from a three-month sabbatical in New Zealand where he was writing a Lent book commissioned by the new Archbishop of Canterbury, on the theme of exile, to be published next year. He will continue with some aspects of theological education in his new post.

In the past, John was the Church in Wales' social responsibility officer, and later chair of the Churches in Wales' International Affairs Committee. He has represented the Church in that capacity in many places, one of the most memorable of which was Israel/Palestine during the time of the first Intifada - an experience which has left a lasting mark on him.

His new work involves supporting and developing the mission of the Church, under the direction of the Bishop, in the Archdeaconry of St. David's, which includes most of Pembrokeshire. He is looking forward to this new challenge and to establishing all those partnerships which will make the work possible.

"No-one can enter Pembrokeshire," he says, "without realising that in a special sense it is a sacred place, holy ground."

John is married with two grown up children.

His collation and installation as Archdeacon of St. David's will take place at St. David's Cathedral on Sunday at 3 pm.