This week’s Islander of the Week is Rev Julian Ould.
Rev Ould has been Chaplain of the Isles of Scilly for almost eight years but admits to some reservations when he was asked to move to the Islands after visiting for several years as a holiday-maker.
‘We had an apprehension in that it is a world apart actually living here to coming on holiday, so the parish said come and have a look at it in winter and think about the idea,? he says.
Before moving to Scilly, he had spent four years as curate of a parish of 20,000 in Peterborough, and then of three villages. The decision to move was a difficult one for him, wife Rebecca and their three daughters. ‘I asked the parish to tell me all the bad things about the Islands and they were very good, so much so that one of the wardens said ?it’s not that bad, honestly!? But they were honest in as much as the isolation of the community can be difficult sometimes. But we thought we’d give it a go and we loved it.?
As Chaplain of the Isles of Scilly, he looks after six churches, two on St Mary’s and one on each of the other inhabited islands. ‘We actually enjoy enormous congregations a lot of the time,? he says. ‘Over the winter months, the average congregation in St Mary’s on a Sunday is 30 or 40, but when you think only about 1500-1700 people live here and there’s also a fairly good sized Methodist congregation, that’s quite a good percentage. And then in the summer months, it escalates with the visitors up to 100 plus every week, so in many ways we have much larger congregations than many churches on the mainland.?
It’s a varied job. Scilly is not only a small island community but a unitary authority in its own right, with its own council, which means that as well as looking after the pastoral welfare of both islanders and visitors, he is involved in various community projects, education committees and social clubs.
‘It’s a case of being generally involved in the life of the community and sharing that life by being alongside everybody and also being there as a parish priest,? he says. ‘I?m approachable, I hope because they know me not just as a priest but as a friend.?
‘I actually do know everybody near enough who lives on the Islands and if I don’t know them well, near enough all of them know me, they know who their parish priest is. Many people don’t know who their parish priest is because nowadays we have to cover much larger areas. The difference on Scilly is that there are 28 miles of water separating us from the mainland so there’s absolutely no way they can add anything else to us!?
In that respect the Islands are unique. ‘It means there’s hardly ever a baptism, wedding or funeral where I don’t have personal knowledge of the people involved. It also means it’s a great privilege being a priest. I share all the important moments of people’s lives, some of them cheerful, some of them not. It’s a very special sort of ministry.?
And being an island priest certainly keeps him very busy. ‘It’s a 24 hours a day, seven days a week job,? says Rev Ould. ‘I never feel like I?m off duty. I can honestly say, I don’t think I?ve ever worked so hard in my life.?
He says the way to cope is to enjoy being part of the community, so there’s little distinction between work and normal life. ‘A priest’s job is very much like that anyway. My escape is to be involved in social things, like the pantomime. As well as being a great deal of fun, you get to meet members of the community you might not otherwise have dealt with other than saying hello over a shop counter.?
He was asked to do panto soon after his arrival and has been regularly treading the boards ever since. ‘I usually end up playing the part of an idiot or a dame, so as my wife says, I don’t really get to do any acting!? he laughs.
Although Rev Ould loves island life, he admits that being cut off from the mainland does have its problems. He has limited contact with the rest of the Truro diocese and is rarely able to attend clergy meetings or make much contribution to the diocese as a whole.
He was meant to be leaving the islands this summer to take a parish in Falmouth but the move has been put on hold and he wont be going anywhere for a while. ‘The time is coming when the bishop feels that I need to get back into the swing of things,? he explains. ‘But also in any parish you come to a point where you’ve given what you’ve got to give and its time somebody else came in and gave a different perspective to it.
I?ll miss Scilly and all my friends here a great deal. But a move will offer a new challenge and a new opportunity in my ministry. Whether I match up to it or not, I?ve yet to find out!?