'With beautiful music from the choir, a strong ecumenical presence, a moving message from Bishop Trevor, and a church packed with people from near and far, the service was a joyful celebration!' reflected Rev Jacob Quick following his ordination at St Edmund's, Oslo recently.
As this year's ordinations across our Diocese conclude, as ever we are incredibly blessed with much to be grateful for. Those ordained to be Priest were:
Seth Barker continuing to serve as Assistant Curate at All Saints, Vevey
Stephen Razafindratsima continuing to serve as Assistant Curate at St George’s, Paris
The Revd Canon Tuomas Mäkipää, Chaplain at St Alban's Anglican Church, Copenhagen, reflected:
'We had a lovely and joyous ordination service led by one of the Honorary Assistant Bishops, Rt Revd Trevor Wilmott. People of many different denominations, many different faiths, and none, came to support Fr Graeme with their presence, love and prayers. In my welcoming words, I reminded all that the liturgy is about transformation and that all people - not only Christians - are welcome to witness how Christ calls and transforms us.
Bishop Trevor reminded us in his sermon based on the texts of the Feast of St Thomas the Apostle, how the presence of Christ confirms and strengthens our faith: Thomas believed before touching Jesus' wounds. He reminded Graeme, and the congregation, that priests are humans. They get things wrong and they get exhausted. We all need the grace of God and others.
On the eve of the ordination, the licensed ministers, members of the Chaplaincy Council and some visiting clergy, including the Canon Missioner of Manchester Cathedral Grace Thomas, attended a pre-ordination dinner with Bishop Trevor and Archdeacon Leslie Nathaniel.'
Rev'd Mark Osborne, Chaplain at St George's Anglican Church, Paris, reflected;
"What a gift! Not just to the new priest filled with excitement, not just his family filled with a justifiable pride, not just his community filled with a deep joy but to all of us; Anglicans in France, in Europe and across the Communion.
We do like a party at St George's Paris so the church was packed and the overflow watched upstairs on a big screen. Stephen Razafindratsima's ordination included family from Madegascar as well as friends from France all joined by clergy from across the diocese to assist Bishop Richard Frith in laying on hands. Bishop Richard celebrated in English though the ordinary, sermon, hymns, readings and the Peace were in fun mix of Malagasy and French showing that running through the day was our joy at what God has been doing in Stephen and continues to do in the lives of those around us as we are shaped by our celebration of the Sacraments of the New Covenant.
Stephen continues to serve the congregations here at St George's that worship in the Madagascan, French and English languages. Please keep on saying thank you for the gift we've received as we thank God for our Diocese."
Here are a few of the images shared with us from the ordinations, it's easy to see the sense of joy!
Please continue to hold our wonderful ordinands and their loved ones in your prayers as they embark on this next step in their ministry.
