Who's who at Pusey House
The Principal
The Rev'd Dr George Westhaver joined Pusey House in August, 2013. He grew up near Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the East coast of Canada. He studied philosophy and anthropology at McGill University, Montreal, and International Development Studies at St Mary's University in Halifax. He then read for a Master of Divinity degree at Wycliffe College, one of the member colleges of the Toronto School of Theology.
After ordination in 1997 George served in Cherry Hinton with Teversham and in the Ramseys and Upwood (Diocese of Ely), before moving to Oxford as Chaplain of Lincoln College and Assistant Minister at St Michael at the North Gate. His last post was Rector of St George’s Round Church, Halifax, in Nova Scotia. George completed a PhD at the University of Durham under the supervision of Professor Andrew Louth, on E. B. Pusey’s unpublished lectures, ‘Types and Prophecies of the Old Testament’. His research interests include E. B. Pusey and the Oxford Movement, the allegorical interpretation of the Bible, and the artistic expression of Christian doctrine. George is married to Karen and they have two daughters, Clara and Charlotte. |
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The Chaplain
The Rev'd Mark Stafford joined Pusey House in September 2014. After graduating from Liverpool University in Modern Languages, and from National Circus Schools in Paris and Bristol, he spent the best part of a decade as a Circus Performer, before running away from the Circus to join the Church. Mark trained for Ordination at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, and has served as Assistant Curate in the Parish of St. Barnabas and St. Paul, Jericho, and as Junior Chaplain at Merton College, since being ordained. Before coming to Oxford, Mark was the founder and Director of the Youth Charity 'redthread', and lists among his interests football, duelling weapons of the 18th Century, and Group Analytic Psychotherapy. He is currently part-way through an MA in one of these disciplines. He is married to Lizzie, who is a Research Nurse - they have two young children, and are both studying the effects of chronic sleeplessness on the human nervous system.
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Contact the Chaplain |
The Librarian
Anna James became librarian and archivist of Pusey House at Christmas 2014, moving all the way across the road from the Angus Library at Regent’s Park College, where she worked as antiquarian cataloguer on historic Baptist collections. Before this, she worked in a variety of roles at Lambeth Palace Library for 8 years, mostly focusing on the historic library of Sion College. Anna studied for both her Masters in Library and Information Studies (2007) and her undergraduate degree in Classics (2003) at University College London, and is currently studying for an MLitt in Archive Management at the University of Dundee alongside her work in Oxford. She edited the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals’ (Cilip) Library and Information History Group newsletter from 2014-2017, and is the training co-ordinator for the Association of British Theological and Philosophical Libraries.
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The Steward (Karen Westhaver)
Master of the Music
Matthew F. Reese is an American conductor, cellist, and tenor, active on both sides of the Atlantic. A recipient of Oxford’s prestigious conducting prize, Matthew has held the Music Directorships of both the Oxford University Philharmonia (2016-2017), and the Oxford University Wind Orchestra (2015-2017), and currently directs the emerging chamber orchestra, Consortium Novum. In 2016, he was named the University’s inaugural ‘Conducting Scholar’, assisting Maestro John Traill and the St Anne’s Camerata. As an active theatre conductor, Matthew has recently conducted performances of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte, as well as Purcell’s Dioclesian.
Matthew has studied conducting under the Celibidache student, Angel Gil-Ordóñez (PostClassical), Paul Spicer (Finzi Singers), Akiko Fujimoto (Minnesota Orchestra), and with the Haydn scholar, James Armstrong (William & Mary). He has participated in masterclasses with Leon Botstein, Harold Farberman, Mark Gibson, Marios Papadopoulos, and Markand Thakar. His principal cello study occurred with Neal Cary (Principal, Richmond Symphony), a pupil of Leonard Rose, and with Judith Shiffers (Israel Chamber Orchestra), a student of Orlando Cole and Paul Tortelier. Equally at home in the choir stalls, Matthew currently sings with the Choir of The Queen’s College, Oxford, and as a Deputy Lay Clerk in the Choirs of Men & Boys, and Men & Girls at Washington National Cathedral. He also serves as Master of the Music at Pusey House, Oxford, conducting one of the University’s premier mixed-voice chamber choirs. Matthew earned his B.A. magna cum laude with High Honours in Music from America’s second-oldest university, the College of William & Mary (1693), where he is the founding Music Director Emeritus of the William & Mary Schola Cantorum. Matthew also holds an M.Phil in Musicology from the University of Oxford, where he is currently a doctoral candidate in Music. |
Organist
David Bannister In addition to his duties at Pusey House, David Bannister currently holds the post of Organist to the Cathedral Singers of Christ Church, Oxford, where he accompanies the choir in daily sung services out of term.
He has served as Director of Music at St Peter’s Wolvercote (2011-16) where he was privileged to have been involved in the commissioning of a brand new pipe organ from Dorset based craftsman Robin Jennings. Following on from this he became Choir Director at St John’s College, Oxford, a post which he held for for the 2016-17 academic year. As an organist, David has performed and recorded with a wide range of groups including, amongst others, The King’s Singers, and Charivari Agréable. He is the Artistic Director of Vespri Segreti, a professional Oxford based vocal ensemble which exists to perform a wide range of early and contemporary repertoire. David continues to study with Paul Spicer (choral conducting) and Stephen Farr (organ). |
Secretary of the Friends
Ann Chippindale was born in Accrington, Lancashire. She moved south to read Chemistry at New College Oxford remaining there until 1998, first as a doctoral student and then Research Fellow. Her research interests lie in solid-state inorganic chemistry and crystallography. Ann is Secretary to the Friends of Pusey House and a Vice President of the Society for the Maintenance of the Faith. When not addressing envelopes and washing up at Pusey, she is tutor in Inorganic Chemistry at Worcester and Pembroke Colleges in Oxford and Reader in Solid-State Chemistry at the University of Reading.
Chapel Intern & Sacristan
Richard Keeble was born and raised in Harrow, North London. From 2014-2017 he studied Theology at King’s College London, graduating with first class honours and the Associate of King’s College. He was awarded the Plumptre Prize for English Literature, the Sellers Prize in Christian Doctrine and the Bishop Collins Memorial Prize for Church History. Reflecting on his Anglo-Catholic upbringing, Richard now hopes to explore the wealth of this tradition at Pusey House and test a vocation to the priesthood. In the role of Sacristan, he strives to preserve the beauty and unique character of worship at Pusey, whilst welcoming new people to the life of the House. His interests include sketching, films and ecclesiology.
Chapel Intern
Ryan Cox Ryan was born and grew up in the beautiful countryside of Somerset, he studied Theology at the University of Gloucestershire. Ryan was brought up in the Church of England, but has been drawn to the Anglo-Catholic tradition in particular since his first year of university. He trained for four years to be a chef but chose to leave that life behind in order to explore a call to priesthood. Ryan enjoys bell ringing, reading and traveling. He hopes his time at Pusey House will be a year of discernment of vocation.
Chapel Intern
Petter Kringberg Hailing from the northern parts of Sweden (almost 400 miles north-west of Stockholm), Petter has studied and worked in both Sweden and the UK, as an accountant, Tourist Guide, Verger and Parish Administrator. Despite having lived in Stockholm for more than 15 years, two Anglo-Catholic parishes in Pimlico, London, remain his spiritual home. Petter enjoys history, reading and travelling and is very much looking forward to exploring a possible vocation to Holy Orders while immersing himself in the life of Pusey House for the coming academic year.
