Former Nottingham vicar ordered to take anger management course after hearing

Reverend Henry Curran holding a bible and smiling, wearing a blue and white chequered shirt
-Credit:Prayer Eleven


A former Nottingham vicar has been ordered to take part in anger management counselling after complaints were made against him. A catalogue of "outbursts" from The Reverend Henry Curran made some parishioners feel as though their faith was being undermined.

He also reportedly found a female parishioner in the shower and did not leave the room. Reverend Curran was ordained as a priest in 2003, becoming the priest in charge of the St Mary's Church in Wollaton Park in 2007. The reverend eventually left Nottingham in 2021 to become a priest in Gloucester and he continues to live with his wife in the benefice.

The vicar was called before the bishop's disciplinary tribunal for the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham after allegations about him were referred to the tribunal in February 2024. Eight incidents were dealt with by the tribunal, all of which took place between 2009 and 2021.

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One of the most serious incidents reportedly saw Reverend Curran send a text to a friend after their relationship broke down, threatening to kill himself. The reverend had allegedly driven two hours and parked his car just minutes away from his former friend's home, with his reported text reading: "Because of everything you have done I can see no other option but to kill myself. I have a ladder and a rope in the car."

Another serious incident came in April 2016, when Reverend Curran was on a Lake District holiday with his family. A member of his congregation was also on the trip and at one point, the reverend went into the bathroom to retrieve an item he had forgotten.

Reverend Curran reportedly found the female parishioner in the shower, but did not leave. The tribunal's decision was made public on Thursday (January 23) and it has been decided that Reverend Curran can continue in his current role as a priest in Moreton-in-Marsh.

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The tribunal's decision report says: "The conclusion that the tribunal has reached is that the respondent failed to put in place appropriate professional boundaries in his relationships with his parishioners. After careful consideration, the tribunal does not consider that the threshold for prohibition has been crossed.

"It does, however, have concerns as to whether the respondent should exercise public ministry in his current role as priest in charge of a parish in Moreton-in-the-Marsh without further pastoral support and training." Reverend Curran has been told to complete a course of counselling for anger management, as well as training on ethics and the maintenance of professional boundaries.

A senior cleric will also be appointed to oversee Reverend Curran's ministry for two years. Describing one particular outburst at a parochial church council (PCC) meeting in 2018, the tribunal says Reverend Curran became angry about a community service on Farndon Green being discontinued.

The tribunal documents say: "Several members of the PCC give evidence that the respondent raised his voice, losing his temper and hit his hand on the table. The respondent told the PCC that they were not supporting him and that they had to find a way to reduce his workload."

The tribunal also says that following the incident in which Reverend Curran told his former friend he would die by suicide, he was encouraged not to resign. The Archdeacon of Nottingham at the time decided that it was not a disciplinary offence and that Reverend Curran "needed professional medical help".