Revd Oliver Myles, Stipend Curate in the Benefice of Padstow, is to be ordained Priest on Saturday 28th June, 2025,  in Truro Cathedral by the Bishop of Truro, Rt Revd David Williams.

He explains in his own words how he’s reached this milestone in his life:

“I was born and raised in the Church of England. My father was a vicar in Notting Hill, so the rhythms of church life were woven into my earliest memories. I grew up surrounded by the language of faith, the patterns of worship, and the stories of scripture.

“But like many, during my teenage years I drifted away. I never stopped believing in God, but I wasn’t prepared to accept Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and Saviour – not then.

“That season lasted until I turned 30. There was no dramatic moment or spiritual epiphany – just a quiet impulse one day to pick up the Bible.

“I began to read the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – and there I encountered a Jesus I hadn’t really known growing up. Not the mild, distant figure I’d imagined, but a world-changing, life-changing, radical and liberating presence.

“I read the Beatitudes and thought: “If this is what the Kingdom of God looks like, I want to be a part of it. I want to help build it – on earth as it is in heaven”.

“At the same time, I discovered the Catholic tradition within the Church of England. I was drawn to its sacramental life, especially the Eucharist, and to the deep sense of historical continuity with the early Church. The liturgy, with all its beauty, mystery, and wonder, became a powerful place of encounter with God. I found in it a rootedness I hadn’t known I was missing. The rhythm of the liturgical calendar, the daily offices, and other devotional practices offered me a way to inhabit a life of spiritual discipline and depth.

“Through scripture and sacrament, I came to see something else clearly: God’s heart is turned toward the margins. The Gospels are full of Jesus’ love for the poor, the excluded, and the broken – this truth lit something in me.”

“I began learning about people like St Francis of Assisi, Oscar Romero, the Latin American liberation theologians, and the ‘slum priests’ of London – and with that, I felt a growing call to the priesthood. A call to live an incarnational ministry: present with people, embedded in the life of a community, embodying the Gospel in both word and deed.

“While I now identify deeply with the Catholic stream of Anglicanism, I also cherish the breadth of the Church of England.

“My training took place in a theological college that was truly a mixed economy – evangelical, liberal, Anglo-Catholic, charismatic, and everything in between. That experience shaped me profoundly. It taught me to listen, to honour differences, and to see the many ways God moves among His people. It gave me a deep appreciation for the diversity of Anglicanism, and a strong desire to support others in encountering God -wherever they are on their journey.

“Today, I carry that calling with a sense of hope and responsibility. I want to be a witness to the transforming love of Christ. I want to help build the Kingdom – not through grand gestures, but through faithful presence, humble service, and deep prayer.”