Church welcomes new priest

Reverend Frances Guite with Reverend Mark Davies, Bishop of Middleton

St Martin’s Church in Castleton has a new priest following the retirement of Rev Ian Butterworth seven months ago.

Reverend Frances Clare Guite was licensed and introduced to the Church on Monday (4 July) night.

St Martin’s is Rev Guite’s first church as priest in charge.

Rev Guite was born in Kutching, Sarawak and is one of four daughters. The family moved to England in 1962 and Rev Guite was raised in Brierfield in Nelson.

Rev Guite left Brierfield when she was 22 and worked in various places across Britain. She worked in office jobs, spent a few years as mental health nurse and lived alongside the nuns of the community of St John the Divine in Birmingham before joining the ministry.

Rev Guite’s grandfather was a priest and a missionary, her mother a teacher missionary and her eldest sister a priest in Durham. However Rev Guite says she didn’t follow in the footsteps of her relatives, but followed the steps laid down by Christ.

Rev Guite was trained at Mirfield, at the College of the Resurrection and has served as a curate in the parishes of St Peter and St Paul, Westleigh.