Rector
The Reverend Benjamin Thompson SMMS (Fr Ben)
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The Reverend Benjamin Thompson is a priest in the Church of England, and Rector of Workington. He is responsible for overseeing the spiritual and worshipping lives of St Michael's and St John's churches, working with the respective church council's to enable both to participate in the mission of the Universal Church in the town. He shares the 'cure of souls' within Workington with the Bishop of Carlisle, which means he has pastoral responsibility for the town and the people who live within the parishes of St Michael's and St John's on behalf of the established church, whether they are a regular churchgoer or have never been in a church in their lives.

Before becoming a priest, Ben was a musician and teacher. His work as a percussionist and conductor took him around the country and further afield, collaborating in award winning projects across the the classical, brass band, and popular music worlds.

Ben is a member of the Sodality of Mary, Mother of Priests (SMMS), a dispersed community open to all priests that is Anglo-Catholic in its spirituality and practices.  

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