Michael John Colclough (born 29 December 1944) is a retired British Anglican bishop. He served as area Bishop of Kensington in the Diocese of London (1996–2008) then Canon Pastor of St Paul's Cathedral, London (2008–2013).

Early life and education

Colclough was born on 29 December 1944 in Staffordshire, England. He was educated at Stanfield Technical High School, a technical school in

Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It is often referred to as the "mother town" of Stoke on Trent. ...

, Staffordshire, where he was head boy in 1963. He studied at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, 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 1969. From 1969 to 1971, he trained for ordination at

Cuddesdon College Ripon College Cuddesdon is a Church of England theological college in Cuddesdon, a village outside Oxford, England. The College trains men and women for ministry in the Church of England: stipendiary, non-stipendiary, local ordained and lay min ...

, an

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

theological college in Cuddesdon, Oxfordshire.

Ordained ministry

Colclough 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

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 ...

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 1971 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 1972. His first curacy was adjacent to his old school at St Werburgh's in Burslem, a parish in the

Diocese of Lichfield The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers of seve ...

. He moved to the Diocese of London in 1975, serving a second curacy at St Mary in

South Ruislip South Ruislip is an area of west London in the London Borough of Hillingdon, south-east of Ruislip, south of Eastcote, north-west of Northolt, and west of South Harrow. A 2017 estimation put the population of South Ruislip ward as 13,150 residen ...

before becoming Priest-in-Charge of St Anselm in Hayes. He was later appointed

Area Dean In the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion as well as some Lutheran denominations, a rural dean is a member of clergy who presides over a "rural deanery" (often referred to as a deanery); "ruridecanal" is the corresponding adjective. ...

Hillingdon Hillingdon is an area of Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon, centred 14.2 miles (22.8 km) west of Charing Cross. It was an ancient parish in Middlesex that included the market town of Uxbridge. During the 1920s the civ ...

(1985–1992) and Team Rector of

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxb ...

(1988–1992). Colclough was made Archdeacon of Northolt in 1992. In 1994, Colclough became Archdeacon at London House and PA to the Bishop of London. From 1994 to 1996 he was Priest-in-Charge of St Vedast Foster Lane in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

. In 1995, he became a Deputy Priest in Ordinary to Queen Elizabeth. He was consecrated

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an ope ...

Bishop of Kensington on 24 September 1996 at St Paul's Cathedral. He is Vice-President of the Christian Children's Fund of Great Britain - a post he has held since 1998 - and he became Patron of the Micro Loan Foundation in 1999. He has been Chairman of the London Diocesan Communications Group,

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of University Chaplains and Chairman of the Industrial Mission Team. As

Bishop of Kensington, he was given "special responsibility for Prison Chaplains within the Diocese" and was Chairman of the London and Southwark Dioceses Prisons and Penal Concerns Group. He chairs the Mission, Evangelism and Renewal in England Committee of the Board of Mission and is on the Council of the

North Thames Ministerial Training Course St Mellitus College is an English theological college established in 2007 by the Diocese of London and the Diocese of Chelmsford of the Church of England. It has campuses in Earl's Court, Chelmsford, Liverpool and Plymouth, with growing links wit ...

. Colclough was appointed a canon residentiary of St Paul's Cathedral in 2008. After more than 11 years of service, he moved from the Kensington area at the end of January 2009 to the cathedral. Describing his time in West London, Colclough said: “Over the past eleven years in the Kensington Area we have seen new churches planted, amazing growth in congregations and more and more women and men offering themselves for the ordained ministry of the Church. “I am now very much looking forward to taking up my new position at St Paul's and working as a member of the Cathedral's Dean and Chapter. The Cathedral holds an important place as the Mother Church of the Diocese and it is a great privilege to be joining the rich daily round of worship and prayer, ministry and mission that goes on at St Paul’s.” The Bishop of London said: “Michael's ministry in Kensington has left both the Area and the Diocese spiritually enriched and strengthened. I am delighted that he will be remaining in London as a trusted senior colleague, bringing his wide experience to the ministry of St Paul's.” The

Dean of St Paul's The dean of St Paul's is a member of, and chair of the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral in London in the Church of England. The dean of St Paul's is also ''ex officio'' dean of the Order of the British Empire. The current dean is Andrew Tremlett, ...

Graeme Knowles Graeme Paul Knowles (born 25 September 1951) is a retired Anglican bishop. He served latterly as the Acting Dean of St Edmundsbury, having previously served as Bishop of Sodor and Man and as Dean of St Paul's. Biography Knowles was educated ...

said: “We are delighted that Michael Colclough is joining 'the team' here at St Paul's. He brings many gifts and great experience in ministry.”. Following the sudden resignation of the Dean in 2011, Colclough served as acting Dean until 2012, during the later parts of the controversy over the camp by members of the

Occupy movement The Occupy movement was an international populist socio-political movement that expressed opposition to social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of "real democracy" around the world. It aimed primarily to advance social and econo ...

on land partly owned by the Cathedral. Colclough retired on 30 September 2013. Colclough is the Bishop in Residence and an Honorary Assistant Priest at

St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, is a Grade II*listed Anglican church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition located at 32a Wilton Place in Knightsbridge, London. History and architecture The church was founded in 1843, the first in London to champion ...

Styles

*''The Reverend'' Michael Colclough (1971–1992) *''The Venerable'' Michael Colclough (1992–1996) *''The Right Reverend'' Michael Colclough (1996–present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colclough, Michael 1944 births Living people Clergy from Staffordshire Alumni of the University of Leeds 21st-century Church of England bishops Bishops of Kensington Archdeacons of Northolt Deans of St Paul's People educated at Haywood Academy Alumni of Cuddesdon College