Executive Archdeacon Appointed

It is my great delight to announce that the Reverend Philippa Segrave-Pride will be the next Executive Archdeacon & Archdeacon of Vancouver of the Diocese of New Westminster. Philippa brings to this position a wealth of experience from her work across the Anglican Church.

I am grateful to the interviewing committee formed to help in the search. We had several applicants and this committee helped discern the direction the Holy Spirit was leading for this appointment. The committee was impressed with Philippa’s abilities and the breadth of parish experience. She has many skills related to organization, pastoral care, attention to detail, knowledge of the Anglican Church, and ability to work as part of a team. She has a good sense of humour and a commitment to living out the gospel.

I have known Philippa for several years as we were fellow archdeacons in this diocese. Her love of the church, and her commitment to doing things fairly, and competently have always impressed me. I look forward to welcoming her into this role. She will begin her new ministry on October 17, which will give her approximately two months to work alongside Archdeacon Douglas Fenton.

Upon his retirement January 4, 2023, Archdeacon Douglas will have been Executive Archdeacon of the diocese for 10 years. He has brought to that role a dedication to transparency, competency, relationship with the lay and ordained people of the diocese and a commitment to developing better practices in how we do things. Archdeacon Douglas has had an enormous impact on the life of this diocese and will be greatly missed as he moves into retirement. His diligence, calm demeanor and faith have inspired and encouraged so many of us. We are grateful for his ministry in this role.  

About the Reverend Philippa Segrave-Pride

Philippa is a lifelong Anglican. She has had a broad experience of the church from “quietly charismatic” to “formal Anglo Catholic” parishes, giving her an appreciation for the diversity of the Anglican Church. The Eucharist has been at the heart of her spiritual nourishment and practice since childhood.

Philippa graduated from Westhill College at the University of Birmingham with a BTh. She was active in student politics at Westhill College and also on the Board of Governors. She then completed a Post Graduate Diploma (Dip. Min) at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, Oxford.

Philippa was ordained to the diaconate by the Right Reverend Mark Santer of the Diocese of Birmingham on July 4, 1999. Bishop Santer ordained her to the priesthood, July 1, 2000.  

Philippa was Vicar of St. John the Baptist, Harpenden, Team Vicar, St. Michael and All Angels, Hatfield, Team Vicar, for St. Mary, Puttenham, St. Cross, Wilstone, and All Saints, Long Marston in the Church of England, Diocese of St Albans. She was Assistant Curate at St Peter, Harborne, in the Diocese of Birmingham. She served on the St. Alban’s Diocesan Board of Education, as the Diocesan Taize Pilgrimage Coordinator, and was an elected representative to Synod. She worked with the St. Alban’s Ministry Department on a pilot project for pastoral visiting training from which was created the St. John’s Visitors, a pastoral care team in her last parish in the UK. From 2006-2010, she was Ethical Advisor to pharmaceutical companies conducting drug trials at the University of Hertfordshire. She also served as a school governor in several primary schools in the UK.

Philippa moved to Coquitlam in 2013. Here in the Diocese of New Westminster, Philippa is currently Interim Priest-in-Charge at St. Helen, Surrey. She also served in that capacity at St. Philip, Dunbar, St. Mark-Ocean Park and St. Clement, Lynn Valley. Prior to these appointments she was Assistant to the Rector and Interim Vicar at Christ Church Cathedral. Philippa counts it a great privilege to have accompanied people in their life journeys, both in times of celebration and in times of fear, pain and sadness, over the course of her ministry.

Currently, Philippa is Chair of the Diocese of New Westminster's Mission and Ministry Development Committee. She has served as an elected representative to the Bishop’s Advisory Committee on Appointments (BACA) and more recently as a member of the diocesan COVID Safety Planning Group. Philippa has been Archdeacon of Lougheed and Archdeacon of Burrard and has served on Diocesan Council.

Philippa is the parent of a teenaged daughter and has been active on the Parent’s Advisory Committee (PAC) of their elementary school and on the board of the charity associated with her daughter’s Irish Dance school. Philippa enjoys baking, photography, walking her dogs, reading, crafting (including quilling and jewelry making), travel, and dining out, discovering the diverse cuisines available in the Lower Mainland.

When requested by diocesan communications to share her thoughts on the appointment, the Reverend Segrave-Pride had this to say:

"I am delighted to accept Bishop John’s invitation to serve as Executive Archdeacon for the Diocese of New Westminster.

It has been a privilege to serve in this diocese for the past 9 years and I look forward to this new chapter.

I am excited to be working with Bishop John and diocesan leadership in a role that will bring me in to contact with so many different worshipping  communities and groups across the diocese.

I am grateful to Archdeacon Douglas Fenton for all that he has given to this position. I look forward to learning from him during our time of transition.

Please pray for us all as we pray, learn and grow together in these new relationships."

Photo of the Reverend Philippa Segrave-Pride by Cheryl Kathler

Bishop John and the Reverend Segrave-Pride on July 11, two days before the appointment announcement Photo Randy Murray