On Saturday 26th June the Bishop of Chichester will ordain eight men and women in Chichester Cathedral as Deacons in the Church of God. It is a moment of enormous significance in the lives of these Christians and we invite you to join us in praying for the candidates and their families.
Deacons are ordained to work with the Bishop and priests as ‘heralds of Christ’s kingdom’. They will take their share in the proclamation of the Gospel in word and deed, serving their communities in ‘searching out the poor and weak, the sick and lonely and those who are oppressed and powerless, reaching into the forgotten corners of the world, that the love of God may be visible’ (Liturgy of Ordination). This marks, for all these candidates, the foundation and beginning of their journey towards ordination as priests as they, as ordained ministers, share in the servant ministry of Jesus Christ.
The candidates come from a wide range of backgrounds and will serve as assistant curates in parishes across the Diocese. We invite all members of the Cathedral community to join Bishop Martin and the whole Diocese in praying for:
- Anna Bouch (Holy Cross, Woodingdean)
- Jan Butter (St Peter's, West Blatchington)
- Laura Darrall (St Peter and St Paul, Rustington)
- Patrick Donovan (Chanctonbury Churches)
- Simon Earnshaw (Clayton with Keymer)
- Toby Lancaster (Holy Trinity, Hastings)
- Joe Padfield (East Blatchington and Bishopstone)
- Kizzy Penfold (St Helen’s, Ore)
To find out more about these candidates’ journey towards ordination, watch the interviews the Diocese has made available with the ordinands here: https://www.chichester.anglican.org/ordinands/
Everyone who is baptized has a calling and, as these testimonies make clear, the task of listening for that call ought to be undertaken with great care and prayer – whatever our journey in life.
If you sense God might be calling you to some kind of authorised or ordained ministry, have the courage to talk with someone you trust about it – perhaps your parish priest or, at the Cathedral, one of the clergy. Even if it’s not ordination, we would always be happy to help you hear what ‘life in its fullness’ looks like for you.
Watch Live
Join us online as we live-stream this service at 3.00pm on Saturday 26th June 2021.