This year’s cohort consists of 15 men and 12 women. The oldest, at 63, is a Deacon (Tim Cotterall) who will serve at St Saviour’s in Bamber Bridge while the youngest, at 24, is a Priest (Matt Gaze) who will serve at St Paul’s, Hoddlesden, St Barnabas Darwen and St Mary’s Grimehills. Each of the 27 has their own personal faith story and journey to ordination to share.
You can find out more, with biographies and ‘personal profiles’ available for each ordinand, here on the Diocesan website to read/download. Former or current jobs of the ordinands include a headteacher; police Detective Superintendent; electrician; music teacher; engineer; commercial director and occupational therapist. Many of this latest cohort come from Lancashire itself and across the UK, but others were born in places as far afield as Ohio in the US; Cote D'Ivoire in West Africa and Nowshera in Pakistan.
Rt Rev. Philip North, Bishop of Blackburn, ordained this year’s group of Deacons and Rt Rev. Dr Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster, ordained our Priests at one service on the Saturday whilst Bishop Philip ordained more of our Priests at a further service on Sunday afternoon.
Senior clergy from the Diocese in attendance at the services alongside the bishops were The Dean of Blackburn, Very Rev. Peter Howell-Jones; Ven. Mark Ireland, Archdeacon of Blackburn and Ven.
David Picken, Archdeacon of Lancaster. They were joined by Rt Rev. Saju Muthulay, Bishop of Loughborough, who led the pre-ordination ret.
