Frances Ward (priest)

She was ordained deacon in 1989 and priest in 1994.^[4] She was then a tutor at Northern College^[5] until 1998 and then Vicar of St Peter's Bury^[6] until 2005. She was a residentiary canon^[7] at Bradford Cathedral from 2006 until her appointment as Dean in 2010.^[8]

On 30 May 2010, it was announced that Ward would be the next Dean of St Edmundsbury in succession to Neil Collings.^[9] In October 2010, she was installed as dean at St Edmundsbury Cathedral.^[2][10] In July 2017, it was announced that she would be stepping down as Dean later in the year and would be returning to academia to complete a second doctorate; her final service at the cathedral was on 15 October 2017.^[11]

Since 2018, Ward has held a Licence to Officiate in the Diocese of Carlisle.^[3] On 2 February 2020 she was licensed as Priest-in-Charge of St John's Church, Workington and St Michael's Church, Workington.^[12]

Ward belongs to the Catholic Anglican tradition of the Church of England.^[10] She is a supporter of the ordination of women as priests and bishops.^[13]

Among other books she has written:^[14][15]

• Lifelong Learning (2005)
• Studying Local Churches (2005)
• Theological Reflection Methods (2005)
• Theological Reflection Sources (2007)
• Why Rousseau Was Wrong: Christianity and the Secular Soul (2013)
• Holy Attention: Preaching in Today’s Church (2019)
• Full of Character: A Christian Approach to Education for the Digital Age (2019)
• Like There’s No Tomorrow: Climate Crisis, Eco-Anxiety and God (2020)