Catherine Ruth Pickford ( Packer; born 5 July 1976) is an English Anglican priest. Since September 2020, she has served as Archdeacon of Northolt in the Diocese of London,

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

. She had previously been in parish ministry in the

Diocese of Newcastle The Diocese of Newcastle is a Church of England diocese based in Newcastle upon Tyne, covering the historic county of Northumberland (and therefore including the part of Tyne and Wear north of the River Tyne), as well as the area of Alston Moo ...

since her ordination in 2000, serving as Rector of St James' Church, Benwell (2009–2015) and priest-in-charge of Stannington, Northumberland (2015–2020). Pickford is a member of the

General Synod The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. Anglican Communion The General Synod of the Church of England, which was established in 1970 replacing the Church Assembly, is the legislative body of the Church of ...

of the Church of England.

Early life and education

Pickford was born on 5 July 1976 in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, Oxfordshire, England. She is the daughter of John Packer, retired Bishop of Ripon and Leeds. She was educated at

All Saints Catholic High School, Sheffield All Saints Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic secondary school with Academy (English school), academy status in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Admissions The All Saints Catholic High School serves boys and girls between the ages o ...

, Stainburn School, Workington, and Cockermouth School; all state

comprehensive schools A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is re ...

. She studied theology at the

University of Nottingham , mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom , established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status , type = Public , chancellor ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

(BA) degree in 1997. She then attended

Westcott House, Cambridge Westcott House is an Anglican theological college based on Jesus Lane in the centre of the university city of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.Westcott House website, Home pag Retrieved on August 27, 2006. Its main activity is training people for ...

, a

Liberal Anglo-Catholic The terms liberal Anglo-Catholicism, liberal Anglo-Catholic or simply Liberal Catholic, refer to people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm liberal Christian perspectives while maintaining the traditions culturally associated w ...

theological college, to train for Holy Orders. During this time, she also undertook studies for a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

(MA) degree in

pastoral theology Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology. Normally viewed as a ...

at Anglia Polytechnic University. She completed her degree and training for ordination in 2000.

Ordained ministry

Pickford was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

in the

as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

in 2000 and as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

in 2001. From 2000 to 2004, she served her

curacy A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

at All Saints Church,

Gosforth Gosforth is a suburb of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It constituted a separate urban district from 1895 until 1974 before officially merging with the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2001, it had a populati ...

in the

. In 2004, she moved to the parish of Benwell as a team vicar based at the Venerable Bede Church. From 2009 to 2015, she was team rector based at St James' Church. In April 2015, she moved to St Mary's Church, Stannington, Northumberland where she had been appointed priest-in-charge and Continuing Ministerial Development Officer for the diocese. In April 2020, it was announced that Pickford would be the next Archdeacon of Northolt in the Diocese of London. She took up the appointment in September 2020.

Personal life

In 2003, Catherine Ruth Packer married John Pickford. Her husband is a sculptor, and they have three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickford, Catherine 1976 births 21st-century English Anglican priests Archdeacons of Northolt People from Oxford Alumni of Westcott House, Cambridge Alumni of Anglia Ruskin University Living people Members of the General Synod of the Church of England