Michael John Colclough (born 29 December 1944) is a British retired

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

bishop. He served as area

Bishop of Kensington The Bishop of Kensington is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of London, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The Bishop of Kensington is responsible for a part of Greater London, including Kensington, ...

in the

Diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames, covering and all or part of 17 London boroughs. This corresponds almost exactly to the historic county of ...

(1996–2008) then canon pastor of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, London (2008–2013).

Early life and education

Colclough was born on 29 December 1944 in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, England. He was educated at Stanfield Technical High School, a

technical school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocationa ...

Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in ...

, Staffordshire, where he was head boy in 1963. He studied at the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) degree in 1969. From 1969 to 1971, he trained for ordination at Cuddesdon College, an

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

theological college in Cuddesdon, Oxfordshire.

Ordained ministry

Colclough was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

as a

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 denominations, such as the Cathol ...

in 1971 and as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in 1972. His first curacy was adjacent to his old school at St Werburgh's in Burslem, a parish in the

Diocese of Lichfield The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers of seve ...

. He moved to the

in 1975, serving a second curacy at St Mary in

South Ruislip South Ruislip is an area of North West London in the London Borough of Hillingdon. A 2017 estimation put the population of South Ruislip ward as 13,150 residents. Education Schools in South Ruislip include Bourne Primary, Deanesfield, Field E ...

before becoming

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; they will normally work on a short-term contract and have less freedom to act within the ...

of St Anselm in Hayes. He was later appointed Area Dean of

Hillingdon Hillingdon is an area of Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon, centred 14.2 miles (22.8 km) west of Charing Cross. It was an ancient parish in Middlesex that included the market town of Uxbridge. During the 1920s the civil pari ...

(1985–1992) and Team Rector of

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...

(1988–1992). Colclough was made

Archdeacon of Northolt The Archdeacon of Northolt is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of London. As such, they are responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within its four Rural Dean, area deaneries: London Borough of Brent, Brent, Hi ...

in 1992. In 1994, Colclough became archdeacon at London House and personal assistant to the Bishop of London. From 1994 to 1996 he was

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; they will normally work on a short-term contract and have less freedom to act within the ...

St Vedast Foster Lane Saint Vedast Foster Lane or Saint Vedast-alias-Foster, a church in Foster Lane, in the City of London, is dedicated to Vedast, St. Vedast (Foster is an Anglicisation of the name "Vaast", as the saint is known in continental Europe), a French sain ...

in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

. In 1995, he became a deputy priest in ordinary to Queen Elizabeth. He was consecrated

area Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...

on 24 September 1996 at

. He is vice-president of the Christian Children's Fund of Great Britain - a post he has held since 1998 - and he became patron of the Micro Loan Foundation in 1999. He has been chairman of the London Diocesan Communications Group, dean of University Chaplains and chairman of the Industrial Mission Team. As Bishop of Kensington, he was given "special responsibility for Prison Chaplains within the Diocese" and was chairman of the London and Southwark Dioceses Prisons and Penal Concerns Group. He chairs the Mission, Evangelism and Renewal in England Committee of the Board of Mission and is on the council of the North Thames Ministerial Training Course. Colclough was appointed a canon residentiary of St Paul's Cathedral in 2008. After more than 11 years, he moved from the Kensington area at the end of January 2009 to the cathedral. Describing his time in West London, Colclough said: "Over the past eleven years in the Kensington Area we have seen new churches planted, amazing growth in congregations and more and more women and men offering themselves for the ordained ministry of the Church. “I am now very much looking forward to taking up my new position at St Paul's and working as a member of the Cathedral's Dean and Chapter. The Cathedral holds an important place as the Mother Church of the Diocese and it is a great privilege to be joining the rich daily round of worship and prayer, ministry and mission that goes on at St Paul's." The Bishop of London said: "Michael's ministry in Kensington has left both the Area and the Diocese spiritually enriched and strengthened. I am delighted that he will be remaining in London as a trusted senior colleague, bringing his wide experience to the ministry of St Paul's." The

Dean of St Paul's The dean of St Paul's is a member of, and chair of the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral in London in the Church of England. The dean of St Paul's is also '' ex officio'' dean of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of th ...

, Graeme Knowles, said: "We are delighted that Michael Colclough is joining 'the team' here at St Paul's. He brings many gifts and great experience in ministry.". Following the sudden resignation of the dean in 2011, Colclough served as acting dean until 2012, during the later parts of the controversy over the camp by members of the

Occupy movement The Occupy movement was an international populist Social movement, socio-political movement that expressed opposition to Social equality, social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of real democracy around the world. It aimed primar ...

on land partly owned by the cathedral. Colclough retired on 30 September 2013. Colclough is the bishop in residence and an honorary assistant priest at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge.

Styles

*''

The Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...

'' Michael Colclough (1971–1992) *''

The Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...

'' Michael Colclough (1992–1996) *''

The Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated as The Rt Revd or The Rt Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian ministers and members of clergy. It is a variant of the more common st ...

'' Michael Colclough (1996–present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colclough, Michael 1944 births Living people Clergy from Staffordshire Alumni of the University of Leeds 21st-century Church of England bishops Bishops of Kensington Archdeacons of Northolt Deans of St Paul's People educated at Haywood Academy Alumni of Cuddesdon College