There were celebrations in Oxford on Sunday as 20 new deacons were ordained at Christ Church Cathedral. There were two services led by the Bishop of Buckingham, the Rt Revd Dave Bull and the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Mary Gregory, respectively.
An ultimate frisbee player, Ukrainian refugee, maths lecturer and a former nurse are just some of the new clergy who will now take the next step in their training with incumbents across the diocese.
During his sermon, Bishop Steven said his prayer for the deacons would be to have bigger hearts, something which is spoken about in the ordination service itself.
He added: “To love is absolutely the heart and centre of what it means to be a Christian and at the heart of what it means to be a deacon or priest or bishop. All too often we lose that focus in all the complexities of our work and all there is to do. I think as a church at this present time we need to see again more clearly that the primary calling of the ordained is to love.”
Following two or three years of training, the deacons will now serve as curates in a range of church contexts and traditions – urban, rural, large and small parishes – across some of the 808 churches, serving a growing population of 2.5 million, in the three counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire.
Each new deacon brings a wealth of experience from different walks of life, parts of the world, and career backgrounds. Some are joining ordained ministry early on in their life and others are taking on the calling in retirement. Apart from those who remain as a distinctive deacon, the curates will be ordained priest next year.
Find out more about our new deacons or see more photos from the services or watch a replay.
Photos Ed Nix.