Our Clergy Wellbeing

If you come to Blackburn Diocese we will look after you…..

• We have a great property department, who will do their best to ensure your house works for you and your family and is well maintained.

• We encourage all clergy to take their full annual leave entitlement, and also to use creatively the overtime we all put in to take an extra day off once each month, to enable you to have a midweek ‘weekend’ away.

• We have a beautiful diocesan retreat house in the grounds of a ruined Cistercian abbey in Whalley (picture above), where clergy are welcome to have personal reading days without charge (bring your own lunch).

• We encourage all parishes in vacancy to consider how they will ‘pastor’ and support their new priest.

• We have a unique pattern of peer-led Ministerial Development Review, designed by the clergy for the clergy.

• We are setting up a pilot reflective practice group for clergy new in post, in partnership with St Luke’s Healthcare.

• If you are looking for a spiritual director or a mentor we have networks of people with whom we can put you in touch.

• Lancashire people are known for their warmth and friendliness and those who are new to the area find it to be an easy place to make friends.

• There are excellent transport connections and the surrounding countryside is spectacularly beautiful.

• For those with children, the Diocese has over 180 church schools including 10 high schools; the vast majority are rated as Good or Outstanding.

• We are always looking for ways for clergy to mix apart from work – including reading weeks, regular hospitality, and a clergy walking group (see picture below)