Nicholas Stewart Reade (born 9 December 1946) is the current Bishop of Blackburn

Bishop of Blackburn

The Bishop of Blackburn is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Blackburn in the Province of York.The diocese covers much of the county of Lancashire and has its see in the town of Blackburn, where the seat of the diocese is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary...

 in the Province of York

Province of York

The Province of York is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England, and consists of 14 dioceses which cover the northern third of England and the Isle of Man. York was elevated to an Archbishopric in 735 AD: Ecgbert of York was the first archbishop...

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Reade was educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey

Elizabeth College, Guernsey

Elizabeth College is an independent school in the town of St Peter Port, Guernsey, founded in 1563 under the orders of Queen Elizabeth I.- History :...

 and the University of Leeds

University of Leeds

The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...

. He was ordained in 1973 after studying at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield

College of the Resurrection

The College of the Resurrection, popularly known as Mirfield, is an Anglo-Catholic theological college of the Church of England at Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England, founded in 1903. The college has close links to the Community of the Resurrection...

. He began his ordained ministry with a curacy

Curate

A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...

 at St Chad's Coseley

Coseley

Coseley is a town located mostly within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands. Part of the Black Country, it lies south east of Wolverhampton and north of Dudley....

. He was then appointed priest in charge

Priest in charge

A priest in charge or priest-in-charge is a priest in charge of a parish who does not receive the temporalities of the parish. He or she is not legally responsible for the churches and glebe, simply holds a licence rather than freehold and is not appointed by advowson.The appointment of priests in...

 of Holy Cross Bilbrook and then the vicar

Vicar

In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...

 of St Peter's Upper Gornal. From 1982 to 1988 he was the Rural Dean

Rural Dean

In the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church, a Rural Dean presides over a Rural Deanery .-Origins and usage:...

 of Dallington

Dallington

Dallington may refer to:* Dallington, East Sussex* Dallington, Northamptonshire* Dallington, New Zealand...

 and then, from 1988 to 1997, of Eastbourne

Eastbourne

Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...

. In that year he became the Archdeacon of Lewes and Hastings, a position he held until his ordination to the episcopate on 2 March 2004. and installed at Blackburn Cathedral on 27 March 2004.

Reade is married to Christine. with one adult daughter.

In 2008, Reade received some criticism for calling for compassion in response to the Death of Baby P

Death of Baby P

Peter Connelly was an English 17-month old boy who died in London after suffering more than 50 injuries over an eight-month period, during which he was repeatedly seen by Haringey Children's services and NHS health professionals...

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Styles

• Nicholas Reade Esq (1946–1973)
• The Revd Nicholas Reade (1973–1997)
• The Ven Nicholas Reade (1997–2004)
• The Rt Revd Nicholas Reade (2004—present)