General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Revd Patrick Kelleher
Rector of St Mary the Virgin
Burton Latimer
Website: https://www.stmaryschurchbl.org.uk
Age 59, married to Emma-Jane with two children,
William 32 & Imogen 27
01536 722844
[email protected]
The Rectory, Preston Court,
Burton Latimer, NN15 5LR
EDUCATION
2017/2019 ORDINATION
TRAINNG
RIDLEY
HALL
CAMBRIDGE
(Common
Awards
University
of
Durham)
BDTA
DENTAL INDUSTRY
Diploma in Dentistry
SOUTH LONDON COLLEGE
BTEC Dental Technology
CURACY
2019-2022 The Church of
Christ the King, Kettering
IME2 Completion
INCUMBENCY
St Mary the Virgin, Burton
Latimer 2022- present
Kettering Deanery Chapter
2019 - present
Deanery
Synod
2019-
present
Diocesan Synod 2021 –
present
Trustee: Friends of St Mary’s
and
Burton
Latimer
Education Trust
Chaplain to Kettering Rugby
Club

MY STORY
I was not brought up as a Christian and came to faith at 33 through marrying my
wife Emma-Jane, our marriage blessing at the local parish church, and attending an
Alpha Course together. Our faith blossomed through the love and patience shown
to us by our parish priest and his curate. The pivotal faith moment for me came
when they introduced the Bible and although I initially found it hard to read, I soon
fell in love with Gods written word. As my faith in Jesus grew through worshipping
on a Sunday, reading, podcasting, and attending Christian festivals and gatherings
I recall a clear feeling of purpose as a Christian. I wasn’t prepared for what happened
next though! The first hint of calling came through an older member of the
congregation, “You’d make a good Vicar!”. This was followed by similar experiences
resulting in me exploring lay ministries within the Diocese of Peterborough. Every
time the advisers said, “Go and speak to the DDO.” I did, the discernment process
followed, the interviews took place, and BAP was successfully completed. All this
took place alongside a busy career (27 years) in the Dental Industry, managing a UK
sales team, and the South African market. I turned the key in the office door for the
last time in June 2017 and started ordination training. Two amazing years followed
at Ridley Hall and I’m most grateful to the Diocese for the opportunity of residential
training (more on this later).

MINISTRY EXPERIENCE
If elected, I would bring to General Synod my growing appreciation and love for the
Church of England and its traditions (yes growing appreciation!). I’ve experienced
two placements in the Anglo Catholic tradition (one alongside the Canon Precentor
at Leicester Cathedral as an ordinand) and moved from a Charismatic Evangelical
curacy to an incumbency of central tradition. As incumbent, I’ve kept the
Eucharistic and liturgical traditions of St Marys, contemporized the sung worship,
and prioritized the Holy Scriptures. I believe that the Book of Common Prayer and
the 39 Articles of Religion hold a central place of importance within the Church of
England and to this end Holy Communion from the BCP takes place monthly at St
Mary’s. I believe the traditions, services, seasons and doctrine of the Church of
England serve the people of God well and provide a positive foundation for
relationship and welcome to those seeking the love of Christ Jesus. My ministry
experience has left me well placed to appreciate the broad traditions of the church
and I’ll bring this to the General Synod when discussing matters of doctrine, liturgy
and church law.

FOR THE PARISH
I firmly believe in the parish system as the best means of evangelism, relationship, establishing trust, while showing the
love of Christ to the whole parish. The parish is the mission field of the Church of England and in my experience the ‘Dog
Collar’ is still respected and trusted, in the local schools (church and secular), in the cafe’s pubs and businesses, and on
the streets of the town. I serve a single church parish, allowing me to spend quality time with those who are willing to
engage - there’s many who do! Unfortunately, the single parish is an ever-increasing rarity in the Church of England, and
I believe the loss of the parish system is a great shame and an irreversible mistake. If elected, I would uphold support
for the parish system and press for resources to be directed towards and not away from frontline parishes.

A RADICAL WELCOME - MINISTRIES WITH CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES (CYPF)
If elected, I would champion CYPF ministry and uphold the importance of welcoming families into the church. It’s
essential that we develop ways of offering a radical welcome to children, young people and families if we are to
safeguard the future of the Church of England. For once the cliché has not lost its original meaning or potency, the
children are the future. CYPF ministry that’s intergenerational, welcoming, inclusive, safe, nurturing and an integral part
of loving all who seek faith in Jesus should be at the heart of the local church.
A final note on welcome: The Church’s teaching on matters of scripture, identity, gender, marriage and doctrine should
not form a barrier to a loving radical welcome for all. Everyone who seeks should be made to feel unconditionally
welcomed and loved and in time helped to understand the Church’s teaching and understanding of the Christian faith
as received by the Church of England.
IMPORTANT ISSUES
Marriage: I believe that the church’s historic understanding of marriage is the best for human flourishing and should
remain unchanged and that current liturgical provision is sufficient. However, I simply can’t accept that this stance
means the end of the Church of England because of the polarized disagreements of the past. If elected, I would seek
to understand better those of a different view and pursue unity instead of division. It’s my firm prayer that I’ll be able
to engage thoughtfully and with love as the General Synod navigates a course of disagreeing well without losing sight
of our common calling. In addition, the CofE is at its best when ordinary parishes and ordinary vicars like me remain
rooted in our traditions of bible, liturgy, and service to all, confident in sharing our historic faith with generosity and
respect towards those with whom we disagree.
Safeguarding and Race: From the St Mary’s Website – ‘Our church is built on love, scripture, tradition, welcome,
hospitality and ministry to the Parish. In line with the love of Christ Jesus, we believe in fostering an environment where
everyone feels welcomed, valued and heard. We commit to a warm welcome for all. We believe that all are made in
the Image and likeness of God and therefore seek to understand and show compassion to others. If elected, I would
support all attempts to make the Church of England a safe place for all – especially vulnerable adults and children.
Ordination Training: As already mentioned, I benefited from full-time residential training. This was the only viable way
of leaving my much-loved long-term career in the dental industry as it provided a clear line of demarcation between
two very different callings. To remain employed and study part-time would have been a serious mistake for me as
would distance learning. These models would not have enabled the clean career break needed to be fully committed
to my call into ordination training. If elected, I would campaign for the reinstatement of residential training for the over
32’s for those who believe that this is the best model of training for them. I believe that the church is missing out on
the wealth of experience, knowledge, and skill that professional people bring to ordained ministry and to those they
would serve.
Clergy Wellbeing: If elected I would support the enhancement and execution of structures that allow Clergy to flourish,
rest, recuperate and resource ministry in their parishes.

Thank you for taking the time to read this statement and please do contact me if you would like to discuss the content

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