Bishop Jonathan has appointed her to be the new parish priest in the Haven Benefice, which includes Brading, St Helens, Seaview and Yaverland, subject to DBS. The 57-year-old is currently working as interim priest-in-charge of the Waterside churches in Cornwall.
She lived for many years on the island, as her parents ran a newsagents’ shop in Hope Road, Shanklin, on the way to the beach. She spent many happy days lazing on the beach or sea-swimming in Shanklin Bay – until the family moved away when she was aged 13.
Now she’s glad to be returning after a journey that has taken her to Essex, Dorset and then Cornwall, as well as through one sense of vocation to be a teacher and another to become a vicar.
“I had so many happy memories of the Isle of Wight,” she said. “Having a shop on the road down to the beach meant that we knew so many people. I used to sit on the beach reading, and I loved swimming in the sea. I still do that now, and one of the things I’d like to do is to swim off Shanklin again. We used to go on holiday to Seaview, so that is very familiar.”
Karen and her parents moved back to Essex when she was a teenager. She met her husband Chris as their parents worked together and they were childhood sweethearts. But they both married other people and only made contact again 30 years later, when they fell in love again. They married 13 years ago.
Meanwhile Karen, who first felt a call to ordained ministry at a Christmas carol service at school at the age of 10, ended up working in education for 28 years. She taught RE in secondary schools and then worked as a pastoral support manager.
“When I felt the call to ordination, women weren’t able to become clergy,” she said. “I went into education and taught RE because I thought that was the closest I could get. But when women could be ordained, Chris did say: ‘You’ve been a teacher, what about being a vicar?’ – and 18 months later I was training for ministry. I was ordained in Salisbury Cathedral in 2018, as we were living in Dorset.
“Pastoral care used to be my job and it is a huge part of my ministry as a clergy person too. I believe in clergy having a visible presence in their parishes, so you’ll find me in a dog collar and my flat shoes, yomping around the area.
“I was back on the Isle of Wight for two days for my interview and felt a huge sense of familiarity, and of coming home to somewhere that has played a big role in me growing up. Everyone has already made me feel so welcome, and I feel it’s the right place for Chris and I to be. Chris is also a Lay Worship Leader, and we also enjoy hospitality, so it will be great to meet and to host all sorts of people.
“I’m also really excited to be coming to a place that already has a gold award from A Rocha as an Eco Church. I love animals and we already have plenty. So I’m excited about the possibilities for the future.”
The Rev Karen Wilson will be licensed as the new priest-in-charge of Brading, St Helens, Seaview and Yaverland at a service at St Mary’s Church, Brading, starting at 6pm on November 12.