Frances Elizabeth Fearn Ward (born 16 September 1959) is an Anglican priest and theologian. She served as

Dean of St Edmundsbury The Dean of St Edmundsbury is the head (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of St Edmundsbury Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the Cathedral Church of Saint James in Bury ...

from 2010 to 2017.

Early life and education

Ward was born on 16 September 1959 in

Geelong Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon ...

, Victoria, Australia. She was educated at

King's Ely King's Ely (renamed from "The King's School" in March 2012),The School's Terms and Conditions and the Companies House registration would suggest that the School's legal name remains "The King's School, Ely" is a co-educational public school ( ...

. She later studied at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

and the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...

.'WARD, Very Rev. Frances Elizabeth Fearn', ''

Who's Who 2017 ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to i ...

'', A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016; online edn, Nov 201
accessed 4 July 2017
/ref> From 1987 to 1989, she trained for holy orders at

Westcott House, Cambridge Westcott House is an Anglican theological college based on Jesus Lane in the centre of the University of Cambridge, university city of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.Westcott House website, Home pag Retrieved on August 27, 2006. Its main activit ...

, an Anglican

theological college A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clerg ...

in the Liberal Catholic tradition.

Ordained ministry

She was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

in 1989 and priest in 1994. She was then a tutor at Northern College until 1998 and then

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pr ...

of St Peter's Bury until 2005. She was a

residentiary canon A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, ...

Bradford Cathedral Bradford Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter, is an Anglican cathedral in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, one of three co-equal cathedrals in the Diocese of Leeds alongside Ripon and Wakefield. Its site has been used for Ch ...

from 2006 until her appointment as Dean in 2010. On 30 May 2010, it was announced that Ward would be the next

in succession to Neil Collings. In October 2010, she was installed as

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

St Edmundsbury Cathedral St Edmundsbury Cathedral (formally entitled the Cathedral Church of St James and St Edmund) is the cathedral for the Church of England's Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. It is the seat of the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and is ...

. 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. Since 2018, Ward has held a

Licence to Officiate A permission to officiate (PTO), also known as a licence to officiate, is a concessionary ministry licence granted by an Anglican bishop. It is most commonly issued to a retired deacon, priest, or lay reader over the age of 70 years. It allows th ...

in the

Diocese of Carlisle The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 11 April 1132 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Cumbric descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, who was the ...

. On 2 February 2020 she was licensed as

Priest-in-Charge A priest in charge or priest-in-charge (previously also curate-in-charge) in the Church of England is a priest in charge of a parish who is not its incumbent. Such priests are not legally responsible for the churches and glebe, but simply hold a ...

St John's Church, Workington St John's Church is in Washington Street, Workington, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Solway, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland, and the diocese of Carlisle. The church is recorded in the National H ...

and

St Michael's Church, Workington St Michael's Church, Workington is the parish church of the town of Workington, Cumbria, England. It is part of the deanery of Solway, in the archdeaconry of West Cumberland. History The oldest part of the church dates from around 1150, as evide ...

Views

Ward belongs to the Catholic Anglican

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays ...

of the Church of England. She is a supporter of the

ordination of women The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordin ...

as priests and bishops.

Selected works

Among other books she has written:

Sacristy Press A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

website. Retrieved 7 January 2021.; also Preaching for the Planet Like There’s No Tomorrow (Frances Ward and Jenny Wilson

/ref> * ''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)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Frances Elizabeth Fearn 1959 births People from Geelong People educated at King's Ely Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of the University of Manchester Provosts and Deans of St Edmundsbury Living people Alumni of Westcott House, Cambridge British Anglo-Catholics Australian Anglo-Catholics