The Revd Oliver Blease
Vicar of Christ Church, Radlett
Oliver grew up largely running around on other people’s farms in Cheshire. He retired from his position as a rugby union scrum half when he got to university and saw that most people were as wide as he was tall. Following a degree in Law he went off to Australia where he had a series of temporary jobs which brought him in close contact with the criminal underworld. In a barristers’ chambers he provided research to counsel on anti-corruption, extortion, homicide, and terror-related offences. Later he worked for a cabinet minister responsible for prison reform, crime prevention, and anti- corruption. Good preparation for parish work!
All the while, God was quietly sowing the seeds of ministry. Oliver began as chief lightbulb changer at the Old Cathedral in Melbourne, and graduated to reading the lessons, leading prayers, and taking a course in preaching. As this vocation to ministry grew, he moved back to the UK to care for a family member who had a long- term illness. A life in ministry was explored and tested further with the Church, and after a few years he took a degree in Theology at Oxford and completed a Master’s degree at Durham whilst training for the priesthood at Ripon College Cuddesdon. His research interests include Eucharistic theology, and the ethics of AI.
Following a joyful curacy in Royal Wootton Bassett, the family moved mid-pandemic to Radlett, where Oliver is gradually learning to grow things, mainly dahlias and, God-willing, the congregation. He is married to Mariama, an educationalist working for a City Livery Company, who is also a priest ministering in the Diocese of London. Mariama chairs the board of Days for Girls UK, supporting women and girls around the world with access to menstrual products and healthcare information. She is the author of Inequality and Flourishing: A Theology of Education (London: SPCK, 2022).
