Published on: 18/03/2026
Sheffield Hallam University’s Head of Chaplaincy, Revd Helena Roulston, is joining St Mark’s Broomhill and Broomhall as their new associate priest. Helena will be finishing her role later this month before her official licensing on Wednesday 22 April at 7pm.
Helena was raised in an inter-church Anglican and Roman Catholic family and grew up actively involved in both traditions. She studied Theology at the University of Nottingham, where she engaged in both Anglican and Catholic chaplaincy communities.
Her career began as a lay associate chaplain at Roehampton University, serving the Roman Catholic college there. She later returned to her home church as a Youth and Community Minister before training for ordination at Westcott House. She served her curacy at St Chad’s Winsford before later taking on the role of Head of Chaplaincy at Sheffield Hallam University.
Helena says the opportunity at St Mark’s was too good to turn down, despite loving her role at Sheffield Hallam:
‘I think there’s lots of scope for doing various things and meeting different people. I’m really excited to learn from the team at St Mark’s and to see where the spirit is leading and how I can join in with what God’s already doing and get to know people.
‘I hadn’t been looking for anywhere else to go and I had deleted a link to this role that a student sent over. However, the job came up again in the Diocese’s eBulletin and I looked at it again; it ticked all of the boxes of why I didn’t initially want to leave – I wanted to keep working with students and I didn’t want to leave Sheffield.
‘Working with the possibility of doing more outreach, events and activities with students really attracted me. St Mark’s has a great reputation as a church as well, and although I’ve loved working in a multi-faith context – and I’ve learned so much from that – I also like the idea of going back to the roots of working in a church context again. St Mark’s is a church that is outward looking’.
Part of Helena’s remit will be to get to know the community and connect with the universities in the city. Both Sheffield universities have buildings in the St Mark’s parish, with many students living nearby. St Mark’s teenage group, Lions, meets once a month on a Sunday morning and every couple of months they meet on a Sunday afternoon for social activities. Teenagers are also involved in the musical side of church, some being organ and choral scholars.
Helena will also be working with the Young Adults’ group, a small but important community for students and young adults who meet fortnightly during the university term. Recently the group has studied styles of prayer, and approaches to scripture and theology, including feminist, queer and black theology. Students and young adults are very much part of the wider St Mark’s community and are involved in different aspects of church life.
Helena adds:
‘There’s lots of energy working with students and I really feel that’s where I can support people the most. We’ve got lovely connections here in Sheffield and I love living with the communities around here.’
Revd Dr Beth Keith, Vicar of St Mark’s, said:
‘We are excited to be welcoming Helena to St Mark’s next month. This an important role and we are looking forward to seeing how ministry with teens, students and young adults will develop and grow over the coming years.’
