Five new priests and six new deacons will be ordained by the Bishop of St Asaph this weekend.

In a change from previous years and given the high number of candidates, there will be two separate ordination services. On Saturday 27 June at 10am, five new priests will be ordained, while on Sunday 28 June at 3pm, six new deacons will be ordained.

Both services will take place in St Asaph Cathedral, which earlier this year hosted Their Majesties The King and Queen for the Royal Maundy Service, honouring more than 150 people who have given life-long Christian Service.

Among those being ordained as a priest is Big Brother runner-up, the Revd Glyn Wise; a retired prison governor, the Revd Ian Williams, and a former Buddhist, the Revd Jampa King. They will be joined by the Revd Sharon Morgan who has been assisting at Hope Street in Wrexham, and the Revd David Dobbs, a former nationally ranked squash player, a keen biker and a beekeeper. All five have completed their first year as assistant curates in churches across north-east and mid-Wales

The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron said: “It has been so encouraging to see these new clergy grow in confidence and ability during their year as deacons. We welcome them now as priests committed to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.”

The five new priests will be:

• David Dobbs to continue to serve in the Estuary and Mountain Mission Area, in particular in the town of Flint
• Jampa King to continue to serve in the Dyffryn Clwyd Mission Area, in Ruthin and the surrounding communities
• Sharon Morgan to continue to serve in Hope Street Church in Wrexham
• Ian Williams to continue to serve in the Estuary and Mountain Mission Area, in particular at Well-Being @ St James’, the church next door to St Winefride’s Well in Holywell.
• Glyn Wise to continue to serve in the Aled Mission Area, in particular the communities of Llansannan, Llangernyw and Llanfair Talhaiarn

On Sunday 28 June, three women and three men will be ordained as deacons, the first step in ordained ministry in the Church in Wales. The six include two people in their 20s, who first wanted to become priests in their teenage years. Elin Douglas Jones is just 24 and from Minera in Wrexham. Reuben Zwiggelaar is 26 and comes from Llanafan, near Aberystwyth.

Bishop Gregory added: “The Diocese of St Asaph is able to celebrate a growing number of people offering themselves for Christian ministry. Our six new deacons, young and enthusiastic will make a joyful contribution to our common life.”

The six new deacons will be:

• Robert Dawson to serve in Pool Mission Area, around Welshpool
• Elin Douglas-Jones to serve in Elwy Mission Area, which includes St Asaph Cathedral
• Victoria Stait to serve in Wrexham Mission Area
• Cheryl Thomas to serve in Aberconwy Mission Area, in particular Llanrwst
• Paul Tipney-Hicks to serve in Aber-Morfa Mission Area, which includes Rhyl, Rhuddlan, Bodelwyddan and Towyn
• Reuben Zwiggelaar also to serve in Aber-Morfa Mission Area.

Before the service, all the candidates go on retreat at St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in Tremeirchion. This year, they will be led in their retreat by the Venerable Dr Matthew Hill, Archdeacon of Carmarthen, who will also preach at both ordination services.

There is a warm welcome for anyone who wishes to attend the ordination services at St Asaph Cathedral on Saturday 27 June at 10am and Sunday 28 June at 3pm. Candidates appreciate support from their local churches and communities.

The Diocese of St Asaph stretches from Llandudno in north-west Wales across to the Wales/England border and down to Newtown in Powys.  It is one of the six dioceses of the Church in Wales, an autonomous Province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

ENDS

Information about those being ordained as priests:

David Dobbs will be ordained as a priest and will continue his training in Estuary and Mountain Mission Area. After previously running one of the largest independent care companies in Wales and working with national companies across the North West, David stood down from a long career in social healthcare, to concentrate on fostering and his curacy. He and his wife have been foster-carers for many years. In addition, he makes short films about local churches, their history and mission, and runs an online Facebook prayer group, with more than 33,000 members.

Jampa King spent time as an avowed Buddhist before becoming a Christian after visiting the Shrine of St Melangell in Pennant Melangell. He will be ordained as a priest and will continue his training in Dyffryn Clwyd Mission Area around Ruthin. Jampa is from Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire originally but says he never really felt at home until moving to Wales. Before training to be a priest, Jampa worked in education and family support, and was centre lead in a Surestart children’s centre for the Children’s Society.

Sharon Morgan will be ordained as a priest and will continue her training in Hope Street in Wrexham. She said: “At Hope Street, aside from Sundays, I oversee Warm Space, a social transformation project which holds open house on a Monday morning. It’s a safe space where a warm welcome, free tea, coffee, cake and biscuits facilitate a growing place of connection and community. It’s a space where people come from all walks of life in Wrexham.”

Sharon spent many years in Pentecostal churches. Previously she was a maths teacher and before training to be a priest, she worked with children who were not in school for various reasons, as well as running a tuition business. Sharon enjoys photography and recently held an exhibition and sale of her work. On Pentecost Sunday, she co-hosted a service of celebration for television on BBC1.

Ian Williams is a former Prison Governor and originally from Cumbria. Reflecting on his year as an assistant curate, he said: “The past 12 months have been a blur for me, switching back and forth between my rural churches on Halkyn mountain and the urban, Well-Being @ St James’, interspersed by funerals, baptisms and a wedding. The work at St James’ has been joyfully challenging as we grow and develop. We’ve hosted the Mayors’ Ball, held a Christian Rave, a Sound Bath and S4Cs Dechrau Canu, Dechrau Canmol. Priesthood will be the next step on my journey with Jesus.”

Glyn Wise, who took part in the seventh series of the Channel 4 TV programme, Big Brother, in 2006, is a fluent Welsh speaker and comes from Blaenau Ffestiniog. A film crew has been following Glyn during his first year as an assistant curate as part of a television programme marking 20 years since his appearance on Big Brother.

Information about those being ordained as deacons:

Rob Dawson, 56, is from Stockport originally. He is moving to Welshpool to continue his training as a priest and will serve in the Mission Hub Church of St Mary’s in the town centre. Rob first heard God’s call to ordination as a teenager but worked in Higher Education administration and management for more than 30 years before beginning his training for ministry. He said: “One of the biggest learnings from my training has been a confirmation that the call to ordained ministry is not about us, but about the sharing of God’s love for his people shown through the service of his mission and work.”

Elin Douglas-Jones, 24, is from Minera in Wrexham originally. During her training she has been on placement at All Saints’ Church in Poyser Street, Wrexham and Holy Trinity Church, Rhostyllen. She now lives in St Asaph, ready to continue her training in Elwy Mission Area. Elin first heard a call to ordained ministry when she was 19 years old. At the time she was a student studying Religious Studies at Lancaster University, during the COVID pandemic. She said: “I’m really looking forward to starting my curacy in the Elwy Mission Area. Being part of a team, and getting stuck in with God’s mission is really exciting. I can’t wait to meet everyone, and to serve my curacy alongside committed and dedicated people.”

Vicki Strait, 49, is originally from Gloucestershire. She moved to Wales to live and work over 15 years ago. Her previous career was in Social Care, and she has worked for the NHS for the last ten years. She said: “I came back to faith, having visited the Pilgrim Shrine at Pennant Melangell. This was unexpected and by accident- I was looking for the waterfall! But I don’t think there are ‘accidents’ with God. I then got confirmed and began to be active in my local churches, eventually becoming a worship leader. I think the call to ordination came out of that; feeling that God was calling me to full time, sacramental service and being able to connect with people to help them in a different way than in my secular work.

“Looking ahead, I’m really looking forward to continuing to grow and learn as a Deacon and a Curate; to get to know the congregations where I will be serving and to be able to ‘get involved’ fully in my local community.

“And I continue to go on pilgrimages; I’ve walked the North Wales Pilgrims Way, the Llwybr Cadfan, St Oswald’s Way and parts of Cuthbert’s Way. I’m looking forward to continuing with the Way of Hild and the new Llwybr Cybi a Seiriol, God willing.”

Cheryl Thomas was raised on Anglesey, in a tiny village called Talwrn, in a bilingual home. She left Wales when she was 18 but returned to live in Abergele. She has been there for over 30 years working as a Chartered Librarian and a Library Development Manager; a job she absolutely loved, she said. Cheryl added: “In preparation for ordination I have spent the last three years training in St Padarn’s Theological College in Cardiff for half the week and on placement in Aled Mission Area two days a week. Placement has been a joy and I’ve experienced endless support, kindness and encouragement from everyone. I’m excited at the prospect of exploring opportunities for transformation within the community where I am to serve as curate, and being shaped by God into someone who can share and show the power and gentleness of God’s love to all those I meet.”

Paul Tipney-Hicks (56) grew up in Gloucestershire. He initially explored a vocation to ordained ministry in his late 20’s but ended up training to be Mental Health nurse in Salford before moving to North Wales to work within CAMHS, which he has done ever since. He sensed a new call to ministry after moving with his family to St Mary Magdalene’s, Gwaenysgor during the COVID 19 pandemic, which has led to two years of part-time study and serving at churches in Prestatyn and Ffynongroyw. After his ordination as a Permanent Deacon, Paul will continue to do work full-time in the Early Help service in which he has spent the last six years, enabling him to hold together his call to be a nurse and his call to ordained ministry. Paul said: “I am looking forward to serving my curacy at St Ann’s Church in Rhyl, and I am excited to see what opportunities for ministry, and for learning, lie ahead.” Paul is a keen musician, playing guitar, bass guitar and piano/keyboards. He sings with a local community choir.

Reuben Zwiggelaar, 26, is originally from Llanafan, a small village near Aberystwyth. He first felt a call to be a priest at the age of 16 and went to study theology at the London School of Theology before doing an internship as a Chaplain’s assistant in Lampeter University. He has been living in Cardiff for the last three years while training to be a priest. He said: “I am really excited to get to grips with ministry and put all I have learnt over the last three years into practice. I am especially looking forward to getting to know everyone in my new curacy churches and working with everyone.”