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Event to celebrate 30th anniversary of first women priests
Some of the first women to be ordained as priests in the Church of England have taken part in a celebration to mark the 30th anniversary of the ordination of women to the priesthood. The 11 women who had been ordained in 1994 included the Acting Bishop of Exeter, the Rt. Rev’d Jackie Searle. They were joined by other women clergy from across Devon for a special choral evensong at Exeter Cathedral and celebration event…
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Handmade Wildflower Meadow at Devon Church Highlights Mental Health and Wellbeing
A beautiful meadow of over 7000 handmade flowers has gone on display St Peter’s Church, Dowland, to help raise awareness of mental wellbeing. ‘Meadowland’ is a colourful display both inside and outside the church. The flowers have been individually handmade using a variety of materials, including wool, paper, wood, fabric and metal, by people of all ages in the community. The installation is raising awareness and fundraising for two mental health charities, MIND and the…
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Catalyst Course Invests in Churches’ Children and Families Ministry
10 children and families workers from across Devon have just graduated from the Church of England’s first Catalyst training course. The Diocese of Exeter was one of 12 dioceses to pilot Catalyst, which is a strand of the Church of England’s 30K project to double the number of children and young people in churches, raise-up 27,000 new children and youthwork volunteers and 3000 new children and youthwork workers. Catalyst aims to help participants deepen their…
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Bishop Jackie’s General Election Encouragement to Vote for Good of All
I am hugely proud to live in a democracy, and we need to remind ourselves every now and then of the privilege that is, when we think about places around the world where people don’t have a free and open vote on who is in government. Our democracy is something that we should be really proud of. Vote I would encourage everybody who has a vote to take part in the election. Personally, I always…
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Devon’s Newest Clergy Cheered and Clapped After Ordination at Exeter Cathedral
Eleven new deacons have been ordained at Exeter Cathedral in a service which ended with spontaneous applause and cheers for Devon’s newest members of clergy. They were ordained by the Rt. Rev’d Jackie Searle, the Acting Bishop of Exeter. In 2020 she became the first female bishop to ordain deacons at Exeter Cathedral in its 900-year history, when she carried out some of the ordinations under Covid restrictions. Bishop Jackie told the deacons: “You are…
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Next Generation of Clergy Prepare for Ordination at Exeter Cathedral
A cross-channel swimmer, a gaming and sci-fi fan, a psychotherapist and a former solicitor are among 12 people who will be ordained as church ministers in Exeter this weekend. They have spent the last few years doing ordination training at theological colleges in the Southwest and elsewhere. Kate Jackson is a mother of four, who began her journey to ordination 15 years ago. She said “I was a stay-at-home mum living in Birmingham. I tried…
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