Joy Carroll is an English priest who was one of the first women to be ordained as a priest in the

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 Britain ...

in 1994. She worked in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

as a vicar for 10 years. She was adviser, inspiration, and role model for

Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, producer and film director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films, among them '' ...

for his comedy television series ''

The Vicar of Dibley ''The Vicar of Dibley'' is a British sitcom which originally ran on BBC One from 10 November 1994 to 1 January 2007. It is set in a fictional small Oxfordshire village called Dibley, which is assigned a female vicar following the 1992 changes ...

''. Her book, ''Beneath the Cassock: the Real-life Vicar of Dibley'' describes her life as a vicar. Since moving to the United States, she has become licensed as a priest in the Episcopal Church.

Personal life

In 1997 she married American theologian and writer

Jim Wallis James E. Wallis Jr. (born June 4, 1948) is an American theologian, writer, teacher and political activist. He is best known as the founder and editor of ''Sojourners'' magazine and as the founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Christian commun ...

, and now lives in the US. She uses the name Joy Carroll Wallis. She has published an autobiography, ''The Woman Behind the Collar''. She has two sons, Luke and Jack, with Wallis.

Publications

* "The Importance of ''The Vicar of Dibley''" * *

References

1959 births 20th-century English Anglican priests 21st-century English Anglican priests Alumni of Plymouth Marjon University American Episcopal priests Date of birth missing (living people) English expatriates in the United States Living people Women Anglican clergy People from London People from Washington, D.C. Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American clergy 21st-century American clergy {{UK-Christian-clergy-stub