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When you think of a priest, what comes to mind?

Chances are, it isn’t a 29-year-old rugby-playing woman who enjoys Taylor Swift concerts.

Rev. Pippa White is a Church of England curate, working in the Lichfield Diocese, who posts about her everyday experiences on TikTok. Thousands of people have watched her videos, covering everything from her day-to-day routine to funeral song choices.

91�ȱ� Bitesize sat down with Pippa to find out what life is really like as an Anglican priest, and what people get wrong about the job.

Are you a priest or a priestess?

In the Anglican Church, ‘priest’ is used to refer to the majority of the ordained clergy. These individuals have permission to celebrate Communion, give the nuptial blessing at weddings, bless water for baptism and give absolution.

On TikTok, Pippa is called @not_a_priestess, which would suggest that it’s a name she’s heard a few times, despite it being incorrect. She explains: “Before I went into the Church, I was a barmaid… and I had a regular [customer]… and every time I’d say I’m going to be a priest, he would shout across the pub “Priestess!”

“It’s really petty of me, but when I went onto TikTok I was like, you know what? I’m not a priestess, I’m a priest". In the Church of England, priest is used for all genders.

Pippa compares the different roles within the Church as being similar to the medical profession: “All doctors are doctors. And then you go off and become a surgeon or a GP, or a cardiologist… So all priests are priests and then you can go off and be a vicar or a chaplain."

When it comes to her own career path, Pippa says that she’s “just kind of vibing at the moment”. Dreams of joining the Army as a padre were dashed by a smashed ankle last year. Instead, she’s considering becoming a vicar.

What does a priest actually do?

By becoming a vicar, Pippa will have a lot of the same duties that she currently has as a curate, and there’s more to it than you might expect.

Explaining her typical week, Pippa says: “Obviously we do church services on Sunday, and so I’ll need to write my sermon for that during the week. But also what I’m doing is prepping for funerals and taking funerals, and I’m prepping for weddings."

A lot of Pippa's day-to-day is spent working with members of the community, from going into schools to worship with children to visiting nursing homes, acting as chaplain for the local air cadets to organising church toddler groups.

Having conversations about their beliefs forms another part of the role: "In the West now, we don't really have much space for spirituality and I think people miss that more than we realize. So when I say my entire life is all about encouraging other people's spirituality, the conversations I end up having because they're like, oh, it's someone I can finally talk to about this stuff, people love it."

What do people get wrong about being a priest?

Pippa admits that people often have misconceptions about what life as a priest actually looks like, influenced by shows like Father Ted (unlike its characters, Pippa does not live in the same house as her colleagues). While some Christian denominations have very strict rules around what their clergy can and cannot do, that is not the case for all.

One video Pippa posted showed her going on a night out and then leading a church service the next day: “People were really shocked that I go out like any other girl in her twenties. The comments were wild.”

She goes on to explain: “It's not like we get given a rule book of like, OK, now you're a priest, you can do this, you can't do that… It's what do I, as a priest, feel is sensible and respects my standing in the community?”

When she’s not working, Pippa enjoys dog-walking, horse-riding and playing rugby.

“People get really shocked that we're allowed downtime… they think we sit in our living rooms and read the Bible in the evening… I went and saw Taylor Swift on her Eras tour, which was amazing.”

What difference does being a young priest make?

For Pippa, there is a clear difference in how she approaches her role compared to older members of the clergy.

“It's interesting because my great-uncle was a vicar and… when he was in parish, just being online wasn't a thing and so the fact I spend quite a lot of time online now is completely alien to him."

For example, Pippa and other church leaders have been making greater use of social media sites like Facebook to advertise services and events.

“I see the world in a very different way than a lot of my parishioners who are in their seventies do. So I think we naturally approach things like scripture and church services very differently and that's kind of where the fun is to be had, is in the mixing part.”

Who are your role models in the Church?

While Pippa is challenging misconceptions of clerical life online, she’s taken inspiration from Rev’d Canon Kate Bottley, who featured on Channel 4’s Gogglebox before joining the 91�ȱ�.

“It was absolutely fab what she did… reminding people that priests are human… She was so normal with her husband and the dog, and the tea cosies and stuff like that. I have so much time for her, she’s so cool.”

2024 marks 30 years since the first women were ordained by the Church of England, and it’s a group that Pippa looks up to.

“My bishop is one of those women who was in the first wave to be ordained. And my tutors at theological college, again, were those women who had to pave the way…I've so much awe for them.”

'Try different things... live life!'

Reflecting on how her role gives her the time and opportunity to sit and think, Pippa offers the following advice: “What I've noticed with teenagers is there's always this pressure to be on. You have to be on with your socials. You have to be on replying to WhatsApps… There's always this expectation of you're always available and I think it's maybe saying to them it's fine to be off. Just switch off. And I guess it is a bit of slowing down, but like silence and taking time by yourself… Just reminding them that is fine too because… it's exhausting, isn't it? I find it exhausting.”

And if any young people feel they may have a vocation, whether a religious one or for a career like teaching or nursing, Pippa encourages them to explore it but also take the opportunity to look around.

"The way I always describe it, for me it's like having a fish hook in you. Because I was quite reluctant to become a priest at first. I’d be looking at all these different options, but it felt like this fish hook that just kept pulling me back to becoming a priest to the point where I thought OK, I just can't ignore this anymore.

“When you’re young you’ve got your entire life ahead of you, haven’t you? This can be the opportunity to try different things before settling into it. So yeah, live life!”

This article was published in September 2024