Background
Pritchard was born on 22 April 1948 in Salford, Lancashire.
Pritchard was born on 22 April 1948 in Salford, Lancashire.
He was educated at Arnold School in Blackpool before studying law at Street Peter"s College, Oxford.
He was the Bishop of Oxford from 2007 to 2014. He is in the Open Evangelical tradition. He received a Certificate in Pastoral Theology at Ridley Hall, Cambridge.
He was ordained as a priest in 1972.
From 1972 to 1976 he served as a curate at Street Martin in the Bulletin Ring, Birmingham and, from 1976 to 1980, he was Youth Chaplain and Assistant Director of Education in the Diocese of Bath and Wells. In 1980 he became priest in charge of Wilton, Taunton.
From 1988 he was Director of Pastoral Studies at Cranmer Hall, Durham and, from 1993, the college"s warden. In 1996, he became Archdeacon of Canterbury and a canon residentiary of Canterbury Cathedral.
He was consecrated as suffragan Bishop of Jarrow in January 2002.
On 11 December 2006 it was announced that Pritchard would become the 42nd Bishop of Oxford. Having taken office at his confirmation-of-election in London on 23 March 2007, he began his ministry in the diocese on 8 June 2007 after a service of inauguration at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. As a result, he received hostile comments and letters of complaint.
John Pritchard retired as Bishop of Oxford on 31 October 2014.
John Pritchard, Esq. (1948–1972) The Revd John Pritchard (1972–1996) The Ven John Pritchard (1996–2002) The Rt Revd John Pritchard (2002—present).