CAPTION: The ordination service marks the moment someone becomes a member of clergy
Highest Number of New Clergy Being Ordained in Devon for a Number of Years
The number of new parish priests and church ministers being ordained at Exeter Cathedral this weekend is the highest for a number of years.
20 people are being ordained as deacons and 11 people are becoming priests after being ordained as deacons a year ago.
It is also the first time in a number of years that the ordination services for deacons and priests will happen in the same place on the same day.
In the Church of England most people are ordained as deacons and then as priests a year later – though some choose to remain as deacons.
Each of the new members of clergy will be based in different parishes in Devon
The Bishop of Crediton, the Rt. Rev’d Moira Astin, will be carrying out her first ordinations since her consecration as a bishop at St Paul’s Cathedral last July.
It will also be the last ordination services for the Dean of Exeter Cathedral, the Very Rev’d Jonathan Greener, who retires this July.
One reason for the high number of people being ordained this year is the new Exeter Ordination Pathway for ministerial training.
The pathway began last September, and the first cohort of students are among those being ordained.
The Bishop of Exeter, the Rt. Rev’d Dr Mike Harrison, who leads the new training pathway, said the high number of ordinations was a cause for celebration: “I’m delighted to see so many people come forward for ordination this year, indeed it is the most in recent history.
“To my mind this is indicative of a movement of the Holy Spirit and reflects how many people in Devon are looking to go deeper to find a sense of meaning and purpose in life.
“These new church ministers will be spread across the parishes of Devon, from coast to moor, in urban environments and in rural ones. They will be resourcing churches ministry and mission and serving their communities with joy in manifold ways.”
Those being ordained deacon include 16 women and four men.
Rev’d Josh Chesworth says he is looking forward to becoming a priest
Jennifer Steele is a retired hotelier who is based at St Giles in the Wood, a rural parish church in North Devon.
She said “I feel scared, not good enough, vulnerable and excited. I also feel a huge weight of responsibility that I have not felt up until now. I am looking forward to learning the rites and services that I cannot currently do such as Weddings and Baptisms.
“I am delighted that I will be able to take funerals officially. I used to conduct them at the Crematorium for my old church and miss this ministry. And I will be honoured next year, to preside at Holy Communion.”
Mariska Minter leads St Chad’s church in a deprived area of Plymouth and was previously a community outreach worker in the Pennycross area of the city. She said she was feeling ‘excited and a little overawed’ at the prospect of being ordained.
“I’m most looking forward to being able to carry out baptisms at St Chads because we have a lot of enquiries from local families wanting baptism for adults and children,” she said.
Missional Leadership
Missional Leadership is one of the five priorities for the Diocese of Exeter as part of its Pray Grow Serve 2035 vision to inspire faith in Devon.
A significant amount of its recent £10m grant funding from the national Church of England is being invested in different training pathways to help lay and ordained people share their Christian faith effectively and best serve their communities.
Rev’d Josh Chesworth, from Co Church in Exeter, was ordained deacon last year and is being ordained as a priest this weekend. He said “Approaching being priested feels a bit like finally reaching the top of the mountain after a very long walk.
“It’s been about six years of thinking, praying, studying, learning and making lots of mistakes and now here I am!
“To become a priest is a remarkable privilege and responsibility – the Church puts its trust in you to continue its mission to show the world that God is far greater and more wonderful than any of us realise.
“As daunting as it is, I intend to be the best priest I can possibly be and am excited to continue the story in my role at Co Church, Exeter.”
The Ordination of Deacons service will take place at Exeter Cathedral at 11am on Saturday 27 June.
The Ordination of Priests service will take place at the cathedral at 3pm on the same day.
You can watch a livestream of both services by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/@CofEDevon/streams
