Katherine Elizabeth Jamie was ordained priest by the Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler, in Durham Cathedral on 2 July. She is continuing her work at St Mary’s, Easington, and the Ascension, Easington Colliery, where she began as a deacon a year ago.

Mrs Jamie, who is 34,and originally from a Roman Catholic family in Essex, began her working career in the world of drama, taking a degree in Drama, Applied Theatre and Education at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She was education manager at the Globe Theatre in London, where she met her husband, Matt, who was a member of the acting company.

She was always keen to look at ways in which she could draw together her faith and the arts, and has worked on performing-arts programmes for homeless people being helped by the Church.

“These experiences of working with the arts within a Christian and Church-related context began an emerging sense of vocation to see the visibility of the Church within the local community,” she said. “Drama is a great tool for education and change, and gives a voice to those whose voice we otherwise wouldn’t hear. During my time with the Globe Theatre, I worked on a number of projects that allowed young people on the margins of society to understand and reinterpret the works of Shakespeare [in relation] to their story.

“I continue to do this in my ministry today: helping to interpret the teachings of Jesus through storytelling and use of imagination.”