When the Revd Jo Pestell steps forward later this month to make a public vow of celibacy, she’ll be doing something rare, counter‑cultural and deeply personal. For the 54‑year‑old Gloucester priest, this moment isn’t about withdrawal from the world — it’s about stepping more fully into the life she feels called to live.Jo said, “I have lived most of my life as a single person, aside from two long term boyfriends (one for 4.5 years and another for nearly 2 years). Whilst I enjoyed many aspects of those relationships, I could still not imagine myself married or with children, and when I split up with my second boyfriend in 1997, aged 25, I found myself more content.”
Jo became a Christian a few years later, in 2000 and says the faith she discovered offered something quietly radical: genuine affirmation of the single life.
” In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul outlines the choice to be unmarried as the preferable one, enabling people to be concerned about the Lord’s affairs, with the aim to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. When I first read that, I thought – that is how I want to be! The single, celibate life just seemed the most natural and perfect way for me to live.”
For many women, conversations around life choices are shaped by expectations of coupledom, marriage and motherhood. Jo’s story gently pushes back against that narrative. Her commitment to celibacy hasn’t felt like a restriction – it has felt like alignment.
Over the years, she has explored the long historical tradition of people who chose celibacy as a spiritual discipline. These voices, she says, helped her to recognise something deeply true within herself. Now, after always most three decades of living this way privately, she’s ready to make it public.
She said, “This May, I will turn 54…God has been so faithful to me in sustaining my commitment to living a celibate life in those 27 years and I want to celebrate that. It is also 10 years in June since I was ordained so it seemed a fitting moment to publicly state this and invite all who know me to intentionally support me.
“For me, this way of life has been overwhelmingly positive and deeply fulfilling. Just as for married people, it has ups and downs and times of loneliness, but is mainly full of joy for me. I don’t really feel single; I feel blessed by the huge range of diverse friendships I can and do have.”
Most importantly, this vow doesn’t mark the beginning of life in a convent or religious order. Jo isn’t withdrawing – she’s rooting herself. What she’s looking for is accountability, clarity and a way of publicly declaring her commitment to follow her vocation.
When the moment comes, Bishop Rachel will ask Jo if she is ready. Surrounded by the prayers of her community, Jo will make her vow and then slip on a ring that symbolises not a romantic bond, but a sacred promise.
Her decision marks a significant milestone on a journey she has been living with intention for many years, offering a glimpse into a life shaped by faith, purpose and deep personal conviction.
Please pray for Jo as she approaches this momentous day in her life. If you would like to explore more about consecrated celibacy visit www.singleconsecratedlife-anglican.org.uk
Jo spoke on BBC local radio on Sunday about her upcoming vow to celibacy. Listen from 1 hour and 44 minutes into the show →
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