The former Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Revd Canon Samuel Van Culin, has been appointed an honorary OFFICER OF THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (OBE). Canon Van Culin, who has retired to Canterbury, is an American citizen, thus the award is "honorary". It is customary for the Queen to award such honours at the New Year and on her Official Birthday.

The announcement came from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In part the citation reads "This honour is conferred on you by Her Majesty in recognition of the outstanding services which you have rendered over many years to the Anglican Church in Britain and in the wider Anglican Communion".

Anglican Communion Secretary General Canon John L. Peterson called the bestowal of the honour "well deserved and appropriate" and other church leaders joined in the accolades. The Rt Revd Frank Sargeant, the Archbishop of Canterbury's representative (Bishop at Lambeth), said that the Archbishop of Canterbury was "delighted" at the news of the honour and "felt that this was a fitting recognition of the international work which Dr Van Culin had been able to do through the Anglican Communion."

Canon Van Culin holds several canonries including the Cathedral Church of Christ, Canterbury. He is an associate priest at historic All Hallows by the Tower of London and has just completed teaching a course of Anglicanism at The General Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York. Speaking of this New Year's honour Canon Van Culin said, "I am greatly honoured to receive this appointment but I am fully aware that it is a combined tribute to those I've worked with in joyful service to the Anglican Communion over the past years".