Miles of smiles for railman turned priest

Miles Howarth: life on track

New Dr Kershaw’s chaplain on right track
RAILWAY signalman Miles Howarth’s life has taken a new track at Dr Kershaw’s Hospice.

He has taken over as the lead chaplain at the Royton hospice — but is not side-lining his job as team leader at Manchester Piccadilly.

It was pure chance which led the Failsworth father-of-two down the path to priesthood, and to ultimately lead the chaplaincy team at Dr Kershaw’s Hospice.

He said that, like many parents, he started going to church — St John’s, Failsworth, purely to get a school place.

He added: “Churchgoers sometimes complain about people who do that, but I was one of them, and I always say that you never know what will happen once you go through those doors.”

That was in 1996, and a shared love of walking made him firm friends with the Rev John Holland.

He said: “He was a very different kind of friend. I was a normal family chap, I worked on the railways, and I used to go to the pub with my mates — most railwaymen like to go for a pint.”

He found his faith when he hit a difficult patch 12 years ago, saying: “I believe God brought me that friendship so I would have somewhere to turn.”

He then developed his own pastoral ministry, as people began to trust and talk to him about their problems. “It seemed to come naturally and I enjoyed it,” said Miles (52).

“Once I had decided I never wavered,” he said. “I was ordained a deacon in 2008 and ordained a priest the following year.”

Last year he was “thrown in at the deep end” when he was asked to hold the fort at St John’s in the absence of the parish priest, and his first contact with the hospice came through visiting a parishioner.

He said: “I was impressed with the care given to her, and the atmosphere of love and care. It’s a very special place.”

Drafted in to help out by the-then hospice chaplain Maureen Stirzaker, two-and-a-half years ago, he took over her role after she retired to Scotland earlier this year.

He spends at least 12 hours a week at the hospice, leading a six-strong chaplaincy team, and a number of on-call clergy volunteers.

He said of Dr Kershaw’s: “It’s very difficult and challenging, you go through so many emotions, but I very quickly became absorbed and found patients, families and staff were asking for me. It is a fantastic place.”