BISHOP Jonathan has appointed a Canadian priest to be the new vicar of West Leigh.

The Rev Jenn Camirand, who is currently serving as a curate at St Alban’s, West Leigh, will now become the parish’s vicar this summer. She’ll succeed Canon Karina Green, who has just retired after 14 years as its vicar.

Originally from Ontario in Canada, Jenn came to England in 2018. Before ordination, she worked in leadership, education and healthcare, including teaching and practicing clinical nutrition.

She was ordained deacon in our cathedral in June 2023, and then as a priest 12 months later. Her ministry is shaped by an incarnational understanding of the gospel, and she is committed to ministry in low-income communities.

“At the heart of my ministry is a conviction that God is already present and at work in the life of every community, and that parish churches are at their best when they are woven into the everyday lives of their neighbourhoods,” she said.

“I’m an active participant in the Diocese of Portsmouth’s low-income (LINC) network, which seeks to listen to, learn from, and champion the gifts, voices, and experiences of people living on estates and in communities too often overlooked.

“I have a deep love of parish ministry, a commitment to bringing people together across generations, and a longstanding interest in community life. And I value the richness of different traditions and experiences, and believe that faith grows through participation in the shared life of a community.”

Recent study and formation have deepened Jenn’s interest in the relationship between church, school, and home, and in creating spaces where people of different ages, backgrounds, and traditions can learn from one another.

She said: “It has been a privilege to serve my curacy in West Leigh. Over the past three years, my own faith has grown and deepened through sharing in the life of this parish, and I have come to love the warmth, resilience, generosity, and honesty of this community. Time and again I have seen people quietly care for one another, support their neighbours, and remain hopeful even when life has been difficult.

“What I have valued most is the opportunity to share in the everyday life of the parish: in worship, in schools, in community projects, in celebrations and bereavements, and in the countless conversations that make up the life of a neighbourhood. These experiences have convinced me that parish ministry matters deeply, and that St Alban’s has an important role to play in the life of West Leigh.

“I am excited to continue serving alongside the people of this parish as we deepen our life of prayer and worship, strengthen our connections with the wider community, and discover together where God is leading us next.”

She will be collated as vicar at St Alban’s Church on July 30 at 6pm.