North was
ordained in the
Church of England as a
deacon in 1992 and as a
priest in 1993. He was a curate at Saint Mary and Saint Peter's in
Sunderland until 1996, after which he became the vicar of Holy Trinity in
Hartlepool until 2002, during which time he was also Hartlepool's
area dean (2000-2002). In 2002, North became priest administrator of the
Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, also serving as priest-in-charge of
Hempton and
Pudding Norton from 2004 to 2007. In 2008 he became team rector in the parish of
Old St Pancras and team vicar at
St Michael's Church, Camden Town. In 1997, North joined the
Company of Mission Priests, a dispersed community (not a
religious order) of male Anglican priests who do not marry and follow the
Vincentian rule of life.
Episcopal ministry On 19 October 2012, North was announced as
Martin Warner's successor as
Bishop of Whitby. On 16 December 2012, it was announced that North had withdrawn his acceptance of the post because of conflict between his views on women as priests and bishops, his love for the Parish of Old St Pancras and "the views of people in the
Archdeaconry of Cleveland". On 7 November 2014, it was announced that North had been selected as the next
Bishop of Burnley. He was consecrated at
York Minster on 2 February 2015. The
laying on of hands was restricted to three bishops "who share his theological conviction regarding the ordination of women"; the other bishops at the service, including the only woman then consecrated as a bishop,
Libby Lane, and
John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, gathered around him during the consecration prayer instead. Warner also presided at the service's Eucharist in place of Sentamu. On 14 February 2015, he was installed as Bishop of Burnley at
Blackburn Cathedral. In May 2016, it was announced that North was to also be Acting
Dean of Blackburn during the vacancy in the deanery caused by the resignation of
Christopher Armstrong on 17 June 2016 (although Armstrong departed Blackburn prior to this date). He later resigned the residentiary canonry on 31 August 2022 (the day of
Julian Henderson's retirement, upon which North became acting diocesan bishop). On 31 January 2017, it was announced that North was to be translated to become
Bishop of Sheffield; his installation at
Sheffield Cathedral had been scheduled for June 2017, by which point he needed to have been
elected and
confirmed. However, he withdrew his acceptance of the nomination on 9 March 2017 following several public objections on the basis of his rejection of the ordination of women and the number of women serving as priests in the diocese. In his statement of withdrawal, North cited "personal attacks". The Archbishop of Canterbury,
Justin Welby, later described the affair as "deeply saddening for all involved" and "a setback". In addition to serving as the Bishop of Burnley, he was an
assistant bishop in the
Diocese of Manchester during the vacancy in the
See of Beverley (the
Provincial Episcopal Visitor for traditionalist catholics in the
Province of York) from January to November 2022. It was announced on 10 January 2023 that North had been nominated to become the next
Bishop of Blackburn, the
diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Blackburn. He legally took up the See of Blackburn at the
confirmation on 25 April 2023 at
York Minster of his
election. His installation took place on 24 June 2023 at Blackburn Cathedral. ==Views==