College of the Resurrection

College of the Resurrection

Church of the College of the Resurrection
Motto	Surrexit Alleluia!
Type	Anglican theological college
Established	1903 (1903)
Affiliation	Church of England
Principal	Fr Peter Allan CR
Academic staff	4 full-time tutorial staff
Location	Mirfield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Website	college.mirfield.org.uk

The College of the Resurrection, popularly known as Mirfield, is an Anglo-Catholic theological college of the Church of England in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1903, it describes itself as "A Theological College like no other".^[1] The college has close links to the Community of the Resurrection. It trains men and women, from the full range of Anglican churchmanship, for the priesthood.

Daily life

All resident students are expected to attend Matins and Evensong six days a week. On most days the college says Matins and celebrates Low Mass in the college chapel and joins the Community of the Resurrection to sing Evensong. Saturday is the normal day off each week when there are no obligations. On Sundays, students are expected to join the community for Matins and the Solemn Mass. Later in the morning, students normally go to a local parish church as part of their pastoral formation.

Single students live at the college, married students in nearby houses owned by the college. The married-student houses range in size from two to four bedrooms and none are more than a ten-minute walk from the college.

University of Sheffield

The college, along with the YMC, began a new relationship with the University of Sheffield in 2010. This partnership with the university's Department of Biblical Studies^[2] means that students are now able to take University of Sheffield BA degrees in theological studies as part of their preparation for ordained ministry. A range of MA degrees are also on offer to any student, ordained or lay, in theology and ministry and also drawing on specialisms in biblical studies and the study of liturgy. Students on any of these courses are full students of the University of Sheffield and therefore have access to all its facilities, including the Students' Union, libraries and computer centres.

Yorkshire Ministry Course

The Yorkshire Ministry Course (YMC) was established in 1970 as the North West Ordination Course. It was renamed in 1980 as the Northern Ordination Course. It took students from the dioceses of Chester, Blackburn, Liverpool and Manchester. It opened dialogue with the College of the Resurrection in 1996, establishing an Eastern arm in Yorkshire at the College of the Resurrection. In 2008 as a result of the reconfiguration subsequent to the Hind Report, the Northern Ordination Course separated from its Manchester base remaining established at Mirfield. It is now the Yorkshire Ministry Course and is located on the Mirfield site along with the college, centre and community. It now mainly serves the Dioceses of Leeds, of Sheffield and of York.

Programmes

The following programmes are offered in partnership with the University of Sheffield:

• BA (Honours) in Theological Studies

Normally three years full-time, but candidates who have a good honours degree in a subject other than theology, or the equivalent of Level 1 in theological study, may be admitted to the degree at Level 2 and so complete the course in two years.

• MA in Ministry and Theology

One year full-time, two years part-time or three and a half years on a professional development pathway. This is available for ordination candidates and others who have a 2.1 or above in a first degree (BA or equivalent) in theology/religious studies. Humanities, social science or other subjects are considered, where the applicant can show evidence of relevant experience, background or private study in theology.

• MA in Ministry and Biblical Studies

One year full-time, two years part-time or three and a half years on a professional development pathway. This programme allows students to draw on the expertise of the Department of Biblical Studies at Sheffield, while following a programme of study that maintains a focus on the practice of ministry.

• MA in Liturgy

One year full-time, two years part-time or three and a half years on a professional development pathway. This programme allows students to focus their studies on liturgy, while still offering the opportunity to draw from other areas of theology and biblical studies.

• Research degrees: MA by Research, MPhil, PhD

Candidates may apply via the college for a research degree of the University of Sheffield, provided that appropriate supervision can be arranged either at the college or in the Department of Biblical Studies at the university.

Ecumenism

The college has had a long relationship with other Christian traditions, accepting students from many denominations outside of the Anglican Communion. Here are some examples:

• An annual scholarship for graduate students of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
• Student exchanges between Mirfield and the Lutheran Theological Institute in Sibiu.
• Helping to found the Romanian Orthodox parish of Saint Macarios the Great, Mirfield, in 2004.
• Accepting students from the Lutheran Church of Sweden.
• Accepting both Roman Catholic seminarians and Methodist students for ordination on exchange visits from their own colleges.
• Accepting students and priests from the Oriental Orthodox Church.
• Working closely with the Armenian Apostolic Church.

In the early 1990s, a substantial number of recent former students became Roman Catholics (following the path of a former principal, Denys Lloyd) in response to liberal developments in the Church of England.

Teaching staff

• The Reverend Fr Peter Allan CR, MA (Oxon), ARCO - Principal; Lecturer in Moral Theology and Liturgical Music
• The Reverend Dr Benjamin Gordon-Taylor BA MA PhD (Dunelm), BA (Leeds), FRSA - Dean of Chapel; Lecturer in Liturgy
• The Reverend Dr Jennifer Cooper BA (Toronto), MA (Ottawa), DPhil (Oxon) - Academic Dean; Lecturer in Systematic Theology
• The Reverend Dr Rowena Pailing MA (Oxon), PhD (Birmingham) - Director of Pastoral Studies; Lecturer in Pastoral Theology and Church History
• Dr Dorothea Bertschmann PhD - Tutorial Fellow

List of Principals

References

External links

• College website
• Community of the Resurrection website
• Mirfield Centre website
• Department of Biblical Studies webpage on the University of Sheffield website
• Yorkshire Ministry Course website

Coordinates: 53°40′56″N 1°42′47″W / 53.6821°N 1.7130°W / 53.6821; -1.7130