Roman Catholic Chaplain (Ref: 20625)

Job summary

Please refer to the Job Description

Job description

Roman Catholic Chaplain

Transform Lives Through Faith, Compassion and Hope

We are seeking a dedicated and compassionate Roman Catholic Chaplain to join our multi-faith Chaplaincy Team, providing spiritual leadership, pastoral care, and sacramental ministry within a prison environment

This is a unique and rewarding opportunity to live out your vocation by supporting prisoners and staff, helping individuals find hope, meaning, and purpose during some of the most challenging periods of their lives. As a Roman Catholic Chaplain, you will play a key role in promoting dignity, rehabilitation, and personal transformation through faith, pastoral support, and community engagement

About the Role

As the Roman Catholic Chaplain, you will provide Catholic worship, sacramental ministry, and pastoral care to prisoners and staff, whilst working collaboratively within a diverse and inclusive multi-faith chaplaincy team. You will be expected to demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of other faiths and beliefs, supporting the wider pastoral needs of all individuals regardless of their faith background

Key responsibilities include

• Leading and facilitating Roman Catholic worship, prayer, liturgies, and sacramental ministry, including the celebration of Mass.
• Providing confidential pastoral care, spiritual guidance, and emotional support to prisoners and staff.
• Accompanying individuals through significant life events, personal crises, bereavement, and times of transition.
• Working alongside chaplaincy colleagues to deliver faith and pastoral care services in accordance with Prison Service policy and chaplaincy standards.
• Supporting and contributing to faith-based and non-faith-based programmes that encourage personal growth, rehabilitation, and positive change.
• Responding sensitively to the pastoral needs of people from other faith traditions, beliefs, and those of no faith.
• Developing and maintaining strong links with local Catholic parishes, diocesan organisations, charities, and community groups to support resettlement and reintegration.
• Promoting the values of respect, dignity, inclusion, forgiveness, and reconciliation throughout the prison community.
• Contributing to assurance processes that demonstrate effective delivery of faith and pastoral care services.

What You'll Bring

The ideal candidate will:

• Be a practising Roman Catholic in good standing with the Church and endorsed by the appropriate Catholic authority.
• Have a genuine pastoral heart and a commitment to serving others with compassion and integrity.
• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage people from diverse backgrounds.
• Demonstrate resilience, empathy, and the ability to work effectively in a challenging yet highly rewarding environment.
• Be committed to working collaboratively within a multi-faith team and fostering positive relationships across the prison.
• Have an understanding of the rehabilitative and restorative role that faith can play within the criminal justice system.

Why Join Us?

This role offers the opportunity to make a lasting difference to individuals seeking hope, healing, and renewal. Through your ministry, you will support people on their journey of faith, personal growth, and reintegration into society, while helping to create a prison culture rooted in dignity, respect, and compassion.

Additional Information

This is a non-operational and non-rotational role.

The post carries no line management or supervisory responsibilities.

The post holder is encouraged to maintain their own spiritual wellbeing and professional development through prayer, reflection, study, retreat, and ongoing formation.

If you are called to serve, inspire, and accompany others through faith, this is an opportunity to use your gifts to make a profound and lasting impact.

Person specification

Please refer to the Job Description

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,693, HM Prison & Probation Service contributes £11,788 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Strengths.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following group