Reverence: A priest's life of holiness and humanity

Part memoir, part reflection on vocation, Reverence charts the past and present life of one of the first women to be ordained in the Church of England in the 1990s. Magdalen Smith grew up in a clergy family, married a cleric, then became one herself. Working in different contexts, cathedral, outer estate, city and countryside, she draws from a depth of experience in ministry and spirituality and reflects on how the church has changed over the years.

Reverence is a journey through one woman’s life, beginning in the vicarage where she grew up and ending in a place where her priestly calling is still believed to be relevant in a rapidly changing world. Through personal stories, reflections on art, culture and place, Magdalen Smith connects with an intuitive sense of the numinous felt by many whether they identify as religious or not. Describing the often quirky and profound experiences of human life where all is infused with the holy, Reverence communicates a deep love of enabling others to discover a sense of the divine for themselves.

Magdalen Smith’s book is a call to return to the simplest, hardest, most authentic dimensions of faith and vocation: to love generously, to give of oneself and one’s time to any who ask for them, and to live with faith and hope in the God who comes among us ceaselessly as the vulnerable, unprotected stranger searching for home. There is no pretence here, but a fresh and frank witness that sings aloud and warms the heart. I defy anyone to read this book and not emerge a better, more hopeful human being.

Professor Nicola Slee
Professorial Research Fellow at the Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham

Magdalen Smith is a valued source of spiritual insight on vocation and ministry. These reflections, rooted in the experience and identity of a parish priest, add to the wisdom of her earlier writing. Beautifully crafted, written with authenticity and integrity, each chapter offers stories of pastoral encounter and the inner responses of the priest to her everyday tasks. Magdalen has the distinctive voice of a woman in public ministry who is simultaneously an artist, parent, daughter, spouse and friend. This is wholesome food: nourishment for discipleship and ministry as life lived to the full, infused with all the costliness and fulfilment of priestly calling.

The Revd Canon Dr Mark Pryce
Director of Ministry, Diocese of Birmingham and Chaplain to the King

This honest book by Magdalen Smith should be required reading for all who are considering ordination. Magdalen writes from a place of deep personal awareness whilst at the same time an enthusiastic and curious desire to look and listen outward—to others, to creation, to human experience. Her infectious and down-to-earth faith will inspire, challenge and comfort in equal measure. It is a masterpiece.

The Very Reverend Dianna Gwilliams
Dean Emeritus of Guildford

About the Author

Magdalen Smith is a priest working in a creative and diverse parish in Birmingham. Her ordained life has been in many contrasting contexts and she is the author of five books. She has been a Director of Ordinands and is a spiritual director, pastoral supervisor, speaker and a regular leader of retreats.