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Ordinations 2023

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English content

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A joyous service was held at Newport Cathedral on Saturday 24 June to ordain our new deacons and priests.It was standing room only as friends and family filled the cathedral to support and celebrate with those who have been called into ministry in the Diocese of Monmouth.The Rev Dr Mark Clavier, who had led the candidates on their ordination retreat, gave a warm and welcoming sermon.The Rt Revd Cherry Vann ordained three deacons and seven priests.The service was live-streamed and you can watch it herePlease hold our ordinands in your prayersAlmighty God, the giver of all good gifts,by your Holy Spirit you have appointedvarious orders of ministry in the Church:look with mercy on your servantsnow called to be deacons and priests;maintain them in truth and renew them in holiness,that by word and good examplethey may faithfully serve youto the glory of your nameand the benefit of your Church;through the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Welsh content

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To be ordained Deacon:Stipendiary:Dawn Elizabeth Lindsay to serve in in the Newport North West Ministry AreaJulia Kathleen Durham to serve in the Tredegar Park Ministry AreaNSM (L):William Henry Savage to serve in the Heart of Monmouthshire Ministry AreaTo be ordained Priest:Stipendiary:Ruth Eleri Rowan to serve in in the Islwyn Ministry AreaTina Jane Parry to serve in the East Cardiff Ministry AreaSarah Louise Rosser to serve in the Heart of Monmouthshire Ministry AreaNSM:Rachel Nelmes to serve in the Mynydd Bedwellte Ministry AreaNSM (L):Daniel John Damon to serve in the Monmouth Marches Ministry AreaGlen Stanley Wilkins to serve in the Beechwood Ministry AreaJanet Ann Pain to serve in the Monmouth Marches Ministry Area

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Meet some of the class of '23We had a chat with our new ordinands as the prepare to become deacons.Dawn LindsayMy name is Dawn, 'happily' married to Adrian for over 32 years. I am blessed with 4 children and 2 grandchildren to date. My journey to this point has taken quite a while, and I feel I have gone the scenic route. However, I have always felt God supporting and leading me, and with the benefit of hindsight I know that the time is absolutely right now.I come from a fabulous middle of the road style Church in St Dyfrigs, Llanrumney, where I have been fully supported and loved throughout the discernment process, not to mention gently prodded when dragging my feet filling in the criteria form! I was very blessed to have a wonderful placement for the last 3 years in Chepstow, where I experienced semi-rural ministry for the first time and fell in love with it. I will be serving my Curacy in Newport North and West Ministry Area and with the awesome team there. I am very excited to see what the future holds now after Ordination, and keen to integrate with the local community as much as possible. My favourite phrase is 'Gods got this' and I know he has.Julia DurhamI live in Newport with my husband, Mark, and two teenage sons, Matthew and Henry. I began to explore vocation in 2015 and, after a 15 year career in consumer protection, I was fortunate enough to be able to enjoy a wonderful lay ministry in my parish church, working to develop mission and schools work as well as a pastoral/funeral ministry. It was during this time I discerned a call to ordained ministry and particular interest in pioneering. I began training at St Padarn’s, Cardiff in 2019, however in 2020 experienced a stroke which left me with a brain injury. After time to recover, and after making some adjustments, I was able to finish my training in May 2023.I’ve learnt a lot about disability, and neurodiversity, over the last 3 years and what a difference the right support and adjustments can make. I am especially interested in accessibility in the church and what it means to be a truly inclusive people of God. I look forward to exploring what God has in store over the coming years and how God might bring together my experience of disability and my heart for pioneering, in my future ordained ministry.Bill SavageRetired from corporate life and has been performing some form of laity type ministry for several years but increasingly felt called to do ‘something’ more. When I finally gave in to exploring the call in my discernment process, I knew that God was indeed calling me to licensed ministry.I will be self supporting part time ministry on the team of the Heart of Monmouthshire Ministry Area and I am looking forward to serve in whatever way God has planned for me.We also caught up with a few of those who were deaconed last year and will priested at this year's service.Rachel NelmesIt has been a joy to worship with the people of Mynydd Bedwellte Ministry Area and serve them as deacon. I am so thankful to God for all the support and encouragement I have received throughout my journey. Being ordained as a priest is a very significant and serious step and at the moment, my feelings and emotions are very mixed. I am feeling apprehensive about it, but I have an assurance that God is with me. I know I am insufficient but trust that God will supply and provide the help and support I need. I am stepping forward in faith, praying that God will guide me as I move into the next phase of my life and ministry.Tina ParryGod’s unexpected plot twists of my life story, find me looking back in wonder on my diaconal year. It has been a year of finding the kindness of Jesus to be constantly alongside me, in gentle grace, in great beauty, and in the quiet rhythms of a worshipping community. I have been entrusted with stories of happy hearts and breaking hearts, there have been days of sunshine, and days of grey skies. In the midst of everything my prayer has been for Jesus to meet me in the ordinary, and make my heart His home.For the future, I continue to seek the movement of God’s Spirit in real situational terms, trusting in who God is, what He has done and what He will do. There was a time when ‘my foot was slipping, but the unfailing love of God saved me.’Sarah RosserI have really enjoyed my first year of ordained ministry here in the Heart of Monmouthshire Ministry Area. It has been a real joy to come alongside people in the area, and becoming part of a community. I have relished the time spent with different groups during the week. I have spent quite some time with the local Church in Wales school, building relationships with the teacher, children, and parents. I even joined some of them recently abseiling down Raglan church tower to raise funds for the local scout group!I look forward to being priested, as it will provide me with an opportunity to take that next step in my calling. I am excited to be presiding at my first eucharist the day after my priesting, and it will be a privilege to continue to share that with many more over the years. I am especially excited about officiating my first wedding in July and I look forward to meeting many more couples who I might not otherwise meet on a Sunday morning.Ruth RowanBeing a deacon has been a time of real challenge and blessing for me. My highlights of the year have included beginning to get to know the communities I serve, welcoming the local schools to visit some of our church buildings, completing my MA in Theology, and being part of a thriving ecumenical community. I am looking forward to strengthening my Welsh, deepening my connections with the communities I serve, and being able to celebrate the Eucharist. The calling to priestly ministry remains a wonder and a privilege to me, and it is a great joy to stand at the threshold of realising that calling.