Diocese of Chichester

Ordinations to the priesthood and diaconate will this year be taking place at a different time because of the impact of the Covid-19 virus.

Usually, ordination to the diaconate happens at Petertide (the end of June) but this year the ordinations to both the diaconate and priesthood will be in October.

Subject to Government advice then being satisfactory, diaconal ordinations will take place in the Cathedral on 3 October whilst the priestly ordinations will take at several locations across the Diocese on 26^th and 27^th of September - again, subject to everything being OK for them to proceed. There are three self-supporting ministers and twelve stipendiary candidates being ordained to the diaconate and three self-supporting ministers and eleven stipendiary candidates being ordained to the priesthood.

All Stipendiary candidates for the diaconate are still planning to move into their new homes in June.

Canon Rebecca Swyer, Diocesan Director for Apostolic Life, explains the process in the months leading up to Michaelmas.

“All candidates for the diaconate will be licensed for the time being as Lay Workers by Bishop Martin in his Chapel on 25^th June and this will happen subject to the usual social distancing rules.

“This will allow them to be able to settle into their parishes and to begin to get to know the people they will serve over the summer, as far as the current restrictions allow. It also gives them the Bishop’s permission to take some role in leading worship and to preach.

“In addition to the usual profiles in the September issue of Faith in Sussex, this year we will also be releasing a series of individual video profiles on each ordinand, starting from this Monday June 8^th. So, we will meet the new curate and their training incumbent (TI) together - as the TI will be doing the interview! These will be really interesting to watch.

“Preparing for ordination is always a challenging time and can be quite daunting, but this year even more so because of what we are all still living through. Nevertheless, we rejoice that God has called these women and men to serve as deacons and priests in our diocese and hold them and their families in our prayers.”

The interviews will be published twice a week on our YouTube channel from June 8th here