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Bishop's Vision:
His vision for the church’s ministry is of a church involved
in:-
- The Worship of God
- The Pain of the World
- The Repentance of the Church
Introducing Bishop Jack:
Always
known as "Jack", our Bishop is the only son of James
William Nicholls, a bakery worker of Rossendale, Lancashire and
his wife Nellie (née Bann).
He was educated at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, Rossendale
before going to King’s College London where he graduated
in 1966 and then went on to St Boniface College, Warminster.
For the next thirty years his ministry alternated between Lancashire
and Yorkshire.
He was ordained Curate of St Clement with St Cyprian Ordsall
in Salford 1967-9 and of All Saints and Martyrs Langley in Manchester
1969-72, where he was made Vicar 1972-78.
He was then appointed Director of Pastoral Theology at the College
of the Resurrection, Mirfield (1978-83).
He returned to Manchester as a Residentiary Canon of Manchester
Cathedral from 1983-90. He was Director of Post-Ordination Training
in Manchester and also Honorary Chaplain to Chetham School of
Music. He was also appointed Warden of the Community of St Mary
the Virgin, Wantage, a position he held for eleven years until
shortly after his move to Sheffield in 1997.
He was appointed Bishop of Lancaster in October 1989, when
Alan Chesters was Bishop of Blackburn and was consecrated in
York Minster by Archbishop John Habgood on 25 April 1990, aged
forty-six.
As Bishop of Lancaster he was responsible for mission and outreach.
He did this largely through his preaching and encouraging the
schools of evangelism, schools of prayer and schools of healing.
He would describe himself as a catholic evangelist, believing
that tradition and missionary outreach go together. The fostering
of vocations to the priesthood and the pastoral care of clergy
have always been high on his agenda.
Whilst in Manchester he spent a considerable amount of time
in spiritual direction of clergy and lay people and in leading
retreats. At one time he was strongly opposed to the ordination
of women to the priesthood, and had been responsible for taking
the debate on this issue round the deaneries of the diocese of
Manchester.
However, as time went on, he found his own arguments carrying
less weight until he eventually changed his mind and as Bishop
of Lancaster, he ordained women to the priesthood in the diocese
of Blackburn.
Since his time at Mirfield, he has been involved in parish missions
in many parts of the Country.
Indeed, when he was appointed Bishop of Sheffield in June 1997
he was already in the process of preparing for missions both
in the Blackburn diocese and in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
He was enthroned in Sheffield Cathedral on 24 January 1998 at
the age of fifity-four.
As a Lancastrian he finds Yorkshire people among the most generous
he has met.
In 1997, he became a Fellow of the University of Central Lancashire,
an honour he values highly from his own County. The citation
accompanying this award described him as a communicator who can
express profound things simply.
It has always been his hope that this would be the case. His
innate Northern sense of humour and timing has kept him in considerable
demand, not only as a preacher, but also an after dinner speaker
and in other rather more light hearted contexts.
This he enjoys and uses as opportunities to open doors for the
message of Gospel. From an early age he has been fond of the
stage and in earlier years was much involved in acting and singing.
The climax of his career being as a student in 1966 when he sang
the part of Papageno in the Magic Flute. He still sings in concerts
for charity.
On 6 September 1969 he married Judith Dagnall, a dancing teacher
from Ordsall Salford. They have two sons, Antony born 1971 and
Michael born 1973 and two daughters, Rachel born 1977 and Clare
born 1979.
Bishop's Personal Secretary - Sue Davis
Bishop's Chaplain - The Reverend Geoffrey Harbord
Telephone: 0114 2302170
Fax: 0114 2630110
email:
bishopjack@bishopofsheffield.org.uk
Sue@bishopofsheffield.org.uk
Geoffrey@bishopofsheffield.org.uk
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