Press Releases 3rd October 2020
Nine new priests ordained at St Asaph Cathedral
Nine new priests ordained at St Asaph Cathedral
The Bishop of St Asaph has ordained nine new priests in a closed service at St Asaph Cathedral today (3 October).
The service, which was live streamed to family, friends and clergy, was conducted wearing face masks and visors and adhering to strict social distancing.
Plans to permit each candidate to bring three “supporters” to the service had to be abandoned after the Welsh Government announced a local lockdown in four counties across north Wales (Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham).
https://vimeo.com/466828220/1fd948eba7
The service included a sermon by Father Richard Peers, Sub-Dean of Christ Church, Oxford who had led the priest candidates in a retreat in the days leading up to their ordination.
The nine new priests are:
- Gareth Erlandson, 36, a former music teacher who is based in Hope Church (St Cynfarch’s) in the Borderlands Mission Area
- Sally Harper, a former senior lecturer in music at Bangor University, who is chaplain at St Asaph Cathedral
- Andy Kitchen, Senior leader of Hope Street in Wrexham.
- Rachel Kitchen, Senior leader of Hope Street in Wrexham. Andy and Rachel were deacons at Holy Trinity Church, Brompton Road, London and were due to be ordained as priests in London earlier this year.
- Simon Piercy, 45, a primary school teacher from Penyffordd and assistant curate in Holy Trinity Church, Gwersyllt in the Alyn Mission Area
- Chris Spencer is an assistant curate in the Aber-Morfa Mission Area rooted in St Ann’s Church and St Thomas’ Church, Rhyl
- Sue Storey, a former nurse and midwife who is an assistance curate in Aled Mission Area, which includes communities on the Denbighshire/Conwy border
- Carol Thomas is part of the Expressive Arts Service in Conwy, offering African Drumming, Samba and Creative Composition workshops. She is serving in Denbigh Mission Area.
- James Tout, 32, the former head of science at the Marcher School in Oswestry and now associate director of the Llan Project in Bangor Diocese. James is continuing to serve as assistant curate in the Wrexham Mission Area
In July, Bishop Gregory ordained nine new deacons, the first stage to becoming a priest. The service was live streamed to family and friends as no congregation was permitted.
The Diocese of St Asaph is one of the six dioceses of the Church in Wales, an independent Province of the worldwide Anglican Communion. St Asaph looks after 214 churches and 51 Church Schools.
A gallery of photographs from the service is below and a film of the service is available opposite.
