Start date: Summer 2026
Training Pathway: IME Phase 2
Duration: 3 years
Sheffield Cathedral and the Diocese of Sheffield are offering a unique curacy for 2026, an opportunity for a deacon or newly ordained priest who is passionate about the renewal of sacramental parish life.
As Assistant Curate you will be formed within the Community of St Paulinus (CsP), a new, non-residential mission community rooted in the Cathedral’s daily rhythm of prayer and deployed in mission across the city. The CsP brings together ancient monastic wisdom and contemporary mission practice, seeking to rejuvenate the life of partner parishes through prayer, community organising and creative evangelisation in the inclusive-catholic tradition.
What you’ll experience
· Apprenticeship in sacramental mission and church planting: train alongside experienced church planters and missioners in revitalising and planting new worshipping communities - from choir churches and parent-toddler congregations to lunch churches and charismatic-catholic plants.
· Community formation: live a rhythm of prayer, study and service within the CsP, guided by its Rule of Life and mentored by the Prior and Sub-Prior.
· Service on the margins: work with a parish partner and missioner team to establish or renew a worshipping community in one of Sheffield’s priority urban areas with pathways to long term ministry.
· Integrated IME Phase 2 formation: Receive supervision from the Canon Missioner and support from the Diocese’s IME team, ensuring that your training in ministry and mission is both contextual and comprehensive
Why Sheffield Cathedral?
Sheffield Cathedral is England’s first resourcing cathedral in the inclusive-catholic tradition. At its heart is a daily cycle of worship and a commitment to serve the city through education, culture, and partnerships such as the Archer Project (a homelessness charity based in the Cathedral). Each year over 200,000 people enter its doors seeking hope and belonging — embodying its vision to be “a place for all people.”
Working closely with the Bishop and Diocese of Sheffield, the Cathedral is pioneering a model of formation where contemplative spirituality and missional innovation flow together. This is an ideal environment for a curate seeking to grow in contemplative life, urban catholic mission and church planting.
For an initial conversation about the role and its vision, contact:
Revd Canon Justin Dodd
Canon Missioner and Prior of the Community of St Paulinus
justin.dodd@sheffield-cathedral.org.uk
or
Revd Dan Christian
Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Sheffield
dan.christian@sheffield.anglican.org