Here is an introduction to who I am and where I have been prior to preparing to come to Towcester, God willing, as your new stipendiary Assistant Curate in July.

I was born and raised in Ireland and after reading Theology at Trinity College Dublin I started working in the university on a research project investigating the effects of air pollution on historic buildings and monuments (slightly strange for a theologian!) Our work developed to include energy conservation and planning and we set up a company offering consultancy services in these areas. After six years of hard graft we sold the company and I decided to take a break and moved to Australia for the year. On my return to Ireland I was persuaded to start working in the film industry, specialising in international co-productions. This took me back to Australia where I spent between a third and half the year – trying my best to make sure I was in Oz for the Northern hemisphere winters! Having explored the Antipodes I then turned my attention to Scandinavia and moved to Sweden.
The result of these travels is that some of my friends now define my nationality as Swirish-Australian!

During these years, the sense of vocation to the priesthood that I first experienced as a teenager began to return and became more persistent. I decided that it was time to see if God’s call to me was to ordained ministry and began conversations with the Church of England to explore that possibility. The advice I received was to work full-time as a Pastoral Assistant for a year as a test of my vocation. I did this at St James’ West Hampstead in North-West London - this was an incredibly fulfilling year where I learnt a lotnot only about ministry but also importantly about myself, my strengths and weaknesses. My bishop agreed to send me to a selectionconference and I was very relieved but ratherterrified at the same time when they recommendedme for training for the priesthood. Idecided to go to seminary at St Stephen’s House in Oxford, a theological college founded in the tradition of the Oxford Movement, where I am now nearly at the end of my course.

When I read the profile for the Tove Benefice I was very interested in the challenges offered and thought it would be a good place to come to serve in as a title parish. Those initial feelings were confirmed when I met with Fr Tony and then subsequently with Bishop Frank and I was delighted when the Rector formally offered the position to me. And so with God’s grace I will be ordained to the diaconate on the 5th of July in Peterborough Cathedral and will start working full-time in the parishes that week.

It has been a great pleasure to start getting to know members of the ministry team and the congregation, who have been very welcoming indeed, and I look forward to getting to know more of you over the next months. I am particularly grateful to Father Tony and to Sheila who have been unfailingly hospitable.

The poet George Herbert said that as Christians we should “practice what we pray for”. In the lectionary at Evening Prayer we are reading the letter to the Hebrews. At its conclusion the writer reminds us to show hospitality to strangers because by so doing we may be entertaining angels unawares. I pray that the hospitality shown to me may be a constant mark of this church so that all those who come to the Benefice will be able to get, and give, a glimpse of the Kingdom of God.

Please pray for me as I will for you,

Peter Boyland