Putney Curate Resigns After Racism Row

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St. Mary's congregation shocked by letter from Rev Sharon Hunt

Left: St. Mary's Church. Right: Rev Sharon Hunt

October 28, 2026

A black priest at St Mary’s Church in Putney has resigned from her curacy after saying she was subjected to racist abuse at a parish supper last month.

The Revd Sharon Hunt stepped down after an incident at a Seminar Supper on 24 September, a monthly gathering of people working at the parish involving a meal followed by a discussion.

In her resignation letter, she said her decision was prompted not only by the alleged abuse but also by the response of others who witnessed what happened.

The letter was read out in full to the congregation at services at St Mary’s on Sunday by the Archdeacon of Wandsworth, the Venerable Bridget Shepherd. Most members of the congregation had apparently been unaware of the circumstances behind the archdeacon’s visit, which had been announced to parishioners on Friday.

Immediately after Sunday’s services, the parish emailed the letter to the wider congregation, accompanied by a statement from the archdeacon which did not provide further details about the complaint.

It said, “Racism is abhorrent and unacceptable, and we have clear expectations about honouring and speaking well of each other across difference,” adding that the matter would be handled by the “appropriate diocesan administrative process” and that the diocese would “work with the individual concerned and the church over the coming months, reflecting on what we must learn from it”.

The statement did not provide further details of the process or identify who would be responsible for carrying it out.

One parishioner said, “This came completely out of the blue to me. The parish team always seemed to me to work well together and to have good relationships.”

Until recently, the Revd Hunt was listed on St Mary’s website as Acting Team Vicar and curate. Her details have since been removed. A curate is a more recently ordained priest who operates under the supervision of a more experienced member of the clergy before being given their own parish.

She trained for ordained ministry at St Augustine’s Theological College and was ordained earlier this year. Before entering the ministry, she served as churchwarden at St George’s Church in Battersea.

Her professional background is in the charity and public sectors, with experience in strategy, project and volunteer management, and community engagement. She previously worked for a Christian social justice charity in south-east London as head of community food projects and has also served as a school governor.

She studied at Goldsmiths, University of London, and has worked across areas including advice services, community development, criminal justice, housing and volunteering.

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