At the weekend we celebrated the ordination of a new group of priests and deacons. Ordination is the Church’s official recognition of a person’s sense of calling to be a priest or deacon and this first step into ordination gives them the authority to do certain things in the name of God and the Church.
This newest generation of clergy joins others in leading churches through prayer, teaching and worship, furthering the mission of the Church, to be a Church for all people and for all places. Traditionally, most ordination services take place at the end of June, during Petertide, a feast day marking the martyrdom of Saint Peter, the fisherman, who as a disciple of Jesus was an instrumental figure in the early Church.
Ordination of priests, Saturday 24 June 2023
Watch the service of the ordination of priests live here or on our diocesan YouTube channel. You can download a copy of the order of service here.
The new priests have already been working in churches throughout the Diocese as ordained deacons, learning the work of a priest and assisting their parish priest in the running of the church. The service in the Cathedral was the final step for them after years of training.
The eight people who were ordained priests on Saturday 24 June and their parish/areas are:
| Hannah ALLEN | Bourton-on-the-Water with Clapton and the Rissingtons |
| Stephen BULLOCK | Tetbury, Beverston, Long Newnton and Shipton Moyne |
| Catherine COOMBER | Cam with Stinchcombe |
| Stefan DAVIES | Cheltenham, St Mary with St Matthew and St Luke |
| Simon FELLOWS | Cheltenham, Holy Trinity |
| Stephen SAVILLE | The Stroud Team Ministry |
| Gillian TRAVERSE | Newnham with Awre and Blakeney |
| Kim TRINDER | Bisley, Chalford, France Lynch and Oakridge and Bussage with Eastcombe |
Photographs
For more photos, check our Facebook feed. Full album to be linked from the website shortly.
News Hub
