This year, we are once again privileged, excited and grateful to be welcoming those called to ordination in the Diocese in Europe.  Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing some interviews with a few of them as they prepare for this important step. 

The Revd Canon William Gulliford, Diocesan Director of Ordinands for the Diocese in Europe, writes; 

‘The Diocese in Europe has been blessed not to have experienced the downturn in numbers coming forward to explore vocation and enter training that other English dioceses have. At Petertide 2025 we are in the happy situation of welcoming six new deacons into ordained ministry at the Diocesan Ordination at the Pro-Cathedral of Holy Trinity Brussels.  

In the same season, eight people will be ordained priest, and we will welcome one former minister of another Church into priestly ministry with us.  

All of these people have spent considerable time in prayerful and academic preparation for this next step. And their post ordination training continues in a programme tailored to the needs of the Diocese but incorporating requirements for all curates in the Church of England. 

At a time when there is reason to worry about the falling numbers of ordinands in the Church of England, and there are many other matters of wider concern, it is important to celebrate this good news. Tribute needs to be paid to the various pipelines which nurture those in formation. The Diocesan MES Programme is one of them, and the Theological Colleges in England, notably the Eastern Region Ministerial Course and the residential colleges all do great work on slim budgets. 

Please pray for those to be ordained, their families and loved ones, and the chaplaincies which will welcome them.’ 

Those being ordained this year are: 

Sunday 29^th June at Holy Trinity Brussels 

Seth Barker, being ordained to Deacon at All Saints, Vevey 

Samuel Haiser, being ordained to Deacon at City Kirche, Vienna 

Graeme Lloyd-Roberts, being ordained to Deacon at St Albans, Copenhagen 

Jacob Quick, being ordained to Deacon at St Edmunds, Oslo 

Stephen Razafindratsima, being ordained to Deacon at St George’s, Paris 

Claire Smith, being ordained to Deacon at Maisons Laffitte 

Florence Lorrain, being ordained to Priest at Poitou-Charentes 

Thursday 3^rd July at All Saints, Luxembourg 

Revd Alison Heal, being ordained to Priest at All Saints, Luxembourg 

Saturday 5^th July 

St George’s, Lisbon 

Revd Daleen Bakker, being ordained to Priest at St George’s, Lisbon 

La Cote, Switzerland 

Revd Betty Talbot, being ordained to Priest at La Cote, Switzerland 

Sunday 6^th July 

St Ursula’s, Bern 

Revd James Morgan, being ordained to Priest at St Ursula’s, Bern 

St Margaret’s, Budapest 

Revd Dan Culbertson, being ordained to Priest at St Margaret’s, Budapest 

St George’s, Barcelona 

Revd Massimo Radice, being ordained to Priest at St George’s, Barcelona 

Zwolle (Holy Trinity, Utrecht) 

Revd Angela Berben, being ordained to Pried at Zwolle (Holy Trinity, Utrecht) 

Please remember them all in your prayers.