When I’m asked how I ended up in Chaplaincy, I always say ‘by accident’... I started my working life out as a residential youth worker (you all know the type) and I absolutely loved it, but the time came to get ‘a proper job’ and Chaplaincy seemed a natural progression.

My first existence as a Chaplain was in the Archdiocese of Birmingham but it wasn’t long before I was drawn back into the world of voluntary youth work, working for the Salesians of Don Bosco. From there I went back into Chaplaincy, and spent four very happy years as Chaplain in an all-boys school in the East End of London. It was then that I made the move over to leafy green Surrey, for my first role in the Independent sector. So, although Chaplaincy was never the plan, this is my eighth year in my current role, and truth be told, every time I try and leave God seems to put me very firmly back in my place. I’m slowly learning that maybe this Chaplaincy thing is where I’m meant to be after all…

I’m originally from Ireland and moved to Essex to work as a full time Secondary teacher… I thought I'd do a year, and then head home. 13 years later I am still here, and have moved to the south coast, first to teach and then I made the move into School Chaplaincy. After spending a number of summers as a Youth Leader with Arundel and Brighton’s Lourdes youth group -  Redshirts (Yr. 10/11) I felt that this move was calling me, and though I still do a little bit of KS3 teaching I have been full time Chaplain at St Richard’s in Bexhill on Sea for almost 10 years!

Outside of school I’m passionate about Theatre in all its forms, and when I’m not in school I’m most likely to be found either in rehearsal, onstage or watching theatre! For me, if I’m really honest, being a chaplain can at times be the loneliest of jobs, especially when working in a department of just one… So I want ACCE to be the support that I need when it all feels too much, and hope as part of the Executive I can ensure that support is there for others too.

I should start by being honest and say I never wanted to be a Chaplain. However, having been a School Chaplain for 10 and a half years, it is very clear that God had other plans. When I left school I went into the world of Catholic retreat centres, first working for the Salesian priests and then for the Salesian sisters, these were three very happy years, living and working in community.

This Salesian formation has been the grounding for all my adult life, and especially for how I work as a Chaplain. When leaving retreat centres, I went and did a Youth and Community Work degree and experienced secular youth work, which I thoroughly enjoyed. After graduation it was time for a ‘proper job’, everywhere I looked and everything anyone sent me, was jobs in school Chaplaincy. So I started to apply and was appointed as School Chaplain across three primary schools and a secondary school in Accrington, after four years I was on the job hunt again and tried to head out of Chaplaincy… but I was approached for a Chaplaincy job in an all-Girls school in South West London. Moving to London was always a dream and it was an opportunity I could not turn down.

I spent five happy years before again, it was time for a change. This time the same chaplaincy job kept appearing, four times to be precise, before I applied, and now I am in a Co-ed school in South East London. The schools I have worked in could not have been more different if they tried, but they are all rewarding in their own way. School chaplaincy definitely has its challenges wherever you are and there are days when I scream and I do wonder how this happened, but it’s truly a unique role in every school which I am honoured to have.

I came to chaplaincy by accident - I never had a chaplain at school and didn’t even know that the job existed until I saw an advert! I went to university to be a journalist. A big mountain biking crash, while out filming for a website I’d set up, led to me having both a metal eye socket and a period out of action which meant I missed out on many of the graduate jobs. I ended up working as a TA in a Catholic primary school, where I quickly ended up taking responsibility for the prayer life of the school, leaning on my experience at Alton Castle to support the staff in school.

This experience meant that, when I saw a job advertised at Blessed William Howard in Stafford to be their Lay Chaplain, I knew it was the post for me! I loved chaplaincy, especially the opportunity to journey with and support young people. The need to pay a mortgage, and a growing family, led me to become an RE teacher. However, I always knew that chaplaincy was my vocation, and was delighted when I was able to get back into it in my current role. I’m looking forward to supporting as many people as possible, as well as learning from you all, in this role on the exec team of ACCE.