Father Alex Ladds joined Bloxham as our new Chaplain at the beginning of Lent term. We sat down with him to learn a little bit more about his path to faith, his vision for the face of Christianity at Bloxham, and his favourite past-times.
Q: Firstly, welcome to bloxham. how are you finding settling in?
It’s been busy, but good. It was a bit of a whirlwind moving at Christmas, but we were made to feel very welcome by staff. When the term started, and all the students came back, that feeling of welcome only intensified. Students have been very patient listening to me in chapel and in lessons and everyone has been very helpful. There is such a friendly feeling around school and I’m feeling very much at home.
Q: Tell me a little bit about yourself. What were you doing before joining the school?
Before coming to Bloxham I was a school Chaplain at Giggleswick School in North Yorkshire. The school is very similar to Bloxham with a firm Christian foundation, a beautiful chapel at its heart. I was there for 13 years while my wife was a Housemistress for seven. Prior to that I was at school in Hereford for two years, where I was a Housemaster.
Q: Why did you become a school chaplain and why particularly Bloxham?
When I left the police after 13 years of service, I trained to be a teacher and I really have enjoyed my time in schools. When I trained to be a priest, I was a teacher at the same time. When I was selected for ordination and training, I was approached by the Governors to replace the outgoing Chaplain of Giggleswick. As I grew in that role, and was trained to be a priest, I found it was a role that was personally and spiritually very satisfying, particularly the ability to see members of the school community grow in faith and confidence and come to know more about themselves and about their place in the world.
The thing that really confirmed for me that Bloxham was the right place for me was not the staff nor beautiful buildings (no discredit to them obviously, both are fantastic), but the decider was the students who showed me around and gave me probably the hardest questioning I got on interview day. The students came across as bright, interesting, and engaging, asking me some really searching questions on their interview panel. They came across as such good adverts and advocates for the school. It really felt so clearly that it was a place where I could fit in. A week and a half in and my positive impression of Bloxham students hasn’t dropped in the slightest. If anything, I feel more affirmed in my decision.
Q: What inspired you to become a priest after your time in the police?
I never really thought I would become a priest or minister. My dad is a retired Bishop in the Church of England. I did a theology degree at university back in the day, with every intention of finishing and joining the army. However, at university I met my wife, and as such I didn’t want to join the army but instead joined the police. Coming to the end of my time in the police I felt very, very much that God had another plan for my life. I was sort of debating ministry, but I doubted myself. I went along to an exploring vocation weekend at my local monastery with 24 of us in the room. We went around the room with the “Who are you? Where’d you come from?” questions. I was last up and was sat thinking, “I’m a police officer. What on earth am I doing thinking about becoming a priest?”. By the time it got to me, I was the fourth policeman in the room. There was a real kind of confirmation at the moment that I wasn’t maybe as mad as I thought I might be.
That was a great encouragement and it inspired me to get more involved in the life of the church and the life of the school chapel as a teacher. I went through the selection process with the church, and each time I sort of pushed on a door it opened, which sort of affirmed that it was the right choice for me. I’m a big believer that things happen for a reason and, if something is the right path for you, doors will open. It’s God’s way of revealing your purpose.
Q: What’s your vision for the face of Christianity at the school?
Being what the school is built around, the chapel is the physical heart of Bloxham. I think that is a really good thing but there’s a risk that we can become too inward facing, looking purely just into the chapel. My vision for the Christian face of the school is to develop it’s outward facing elements. People should come out of the chapel energised and inspired to live out, if not their own personal Christian faith, but the sort of Christian ethos the School was founded upon, treating others as they would want to be treated, showing respect and care for other people, the environment and everything around the school and in their lives. I think that the way that the school can show its Christian foundation is actually how it interacts beyond the chapel, whether that’s in the classroom, on the sports field or when the students are involved in the wider community.
Q: What does spirituality in school mean to you?
To me, spirituality in school means an awareness of your own place in the world and in creation of the universe and beyond; having that consciousness of who you are and engaging with the world. Understanding that, as well as the physicality of the world around you, there is a deeper meaning to the decisions and choices you make, and the effect they might have on the world around you. Growing a consciousness of the spiritual elements of life is challenging. It’s easy to talk about the physical, you know, ‘to go to the gym to get physically fit’ and ‘eat the right foods to be healthy.’ But in terms of being spiritually fit, that’s a harder thing to do.
It’s encouraging the students and the staff to find the place where they can feel a connection with that sense of other, whether that’s the Christian God, or some other spirituality that connects with them. I think my job as Chaplain is to try my best to make the chapel a place where that can happen, so that as well as going to the gym and coming out feeling physically energised, going to the dining room and coming out feeling well nourished, one can come out of chapel and feel confident in their identity and spirituality. They become more confident individuals in the society that that were part of.
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time? Do you have any fun hobbies?
The first week and a half at Bloxham has told me I won’t have as much spare time as I thought! It’s certainly busy but I try and get out and about into the countryside. Keeping fit is very important to me, whether that’s walking my two Labradors, Bess and Nell, or going for a run. I try very hard if I go for a run, to go without headphones or any distraction as it’s a great kind of escape from the busyness of life. It’s a good place to get some headspace and cogitate over my sermons for the next chapel service.