Congratulations to our 15 ordinands who will become priests this Petertide.
The weekend of ordinations over 2 to 3 July will see 9 people begin their ordained ministry as deacons and 15 people join the priesthood.
Our soon-to-be priests will be serving their titles in parishes across our Diocese – please give them a warm welcome if you see them in your parish.
You can click here to watch the Ordination of Priests at 5pm on Saturday 2 July.
You can view the Durham Ordinations prayer card here.
You can find out more about each of our ordinands becoming priests below...
Julia Bell
Christine Britcliffe
Lloyd Brown
Lilian Clark
Steve Edge
Deborah Hodge
Alexander Jones
My name is Alexander and I serve at Alive Church St George’s in Gateshead. After University I worked for a church in Weston-super-Mare as Operations Director, before training for Ordination at Cranmer Hall in Durham. The last year has been quite a journey as a Curate! I love spending time with people who are exploring faith - leading Alpha has been a great joy as new people come to church and meet with Jesus. Over thae past year we have also seen people from different nationalities join the church family and it has been my privilege to help develop our International Ministry. As well as Farsi and Spanish speakers, we now work with Gateshead Council to support Ukrainians arriving in the town. In very practical way, it feels like there are lots of opportunities to serve as a deacon in this place and I am excited to see what comes in the year ahead!
Sarah Millican Jones
To serve Alive Church, St. George's
I am from Edinburgh, Scotland (despite my lack of a Scottish accent). I went to St Andrews University where I met my now husband Alexander, who is also ordained. I trained for ministry at Cranmer Hall and loved being in the North East so it is such a joy to be able to do my curacy here.
I love people and seeing people flourish and come alive. I met Jesus and it changed my life and ever since I’ve wanted to see people come to know him. One of the best things about my first year of curacy has been seeing that happen in the lives of people in our community. It's been amazing to see God at work, changing people's lives, bringing hope & transformation. As I look ahead to my ordination to priesthood I'm so excited to see what God has in store over the coming years of people meeting with Jesus and loving him all the days of their lives.
David Lucas
Stephen Martin
To serve Lanchester and Burnhope, Harelaw and Annfield Plain
I was born and raised in Sherburn Village, am married to Mandy. I have three girls (Gracie, Niamh, and Erin) two dogs and 12 hens.
I have had many jobs over the years working as Pub Manager, Care assistant and for the last 14 years as a funeral director.
I came to faith in 1992 joining the youth group at St Mary the Virgin, Sherburn joining in with whatever I was able to. I was able to take part in many diocesan youth events, trips to Taizé and supported by the church family. It was here my faith grew being and at 14 I felt a call to ministry whatever that may be.
Sadly, life got in the way, and I left the church although my faith remained strong and in 2006, I returned to church at St Mary Magdalene, Belmont. Once again, my faith was encouraged and nourished by the church community, and I still felt that call to ministry. Firstly, I explored Reader Ministry training with Lindisfarne College of Theology and was licensed as Reader in 2017. Embracing my ministry as Reader I still felt a strong call to a more sacramental ministry which I spent some time discerning. I was accepted for training in 2019 and returned to Lindisfarne College of Theology where I complete my degree.
Tim May
To serve Monkwearmouth
My first year as a Deacon has been wonderful and I have been truly blessed by God to serve alongside a brilliant team of Clergy and Lay people. The deeply historic parish encompassing St Peter’s still situated on the monastic site where Bede started his life as monk, All Saint’s with its role in the Pentecostal revival under Alexander Boddy and St Andrew’s magnificent beauty crowning it the Arts and Crafts cathedral of the Northeast is a wonderful place to be called to serve God’s people.
Before training for ordination, I worked as a Youth Pastor in Bath which in some ways helped prepare me for the role I am in now. I went through Bath and Wells Diocese but was released before the end of my time at college. My wife and I fell in love with the North East and knew we wanted to stay up here so when the opportunity to come to Monkwearmouth was presented we jumped for joy.
Being a Deacon has been one of the greatest joys of my life and I’m very excited to see how God will continue forming me as a Deacon alongside being ordained to the Priesthood. Serving God’s Church as a Deacon and Priest is one of the greatest privileges and I look forward to a lifetime devoted to serving the Church.
Heather Ross
To serve Upper Weardale
I was born and have spent my whole life in Weardale, attended the local schools and often see my old school friends when shopping locally. I studied with the Open University, gaining a BSc (Hons) IT and Computing in 2006 enabling me to teach computer studies in outreach centres in Weardale and Teesdale. In the past year I also completed my BA in Ministry, Mission and Theology.
I returned to weekly worship after the death of my husband in 2007 and felt the welcome, warmth and comfort of God in my life. I became increasingly involved in church life and was confirmed in 2009. After being licensed as a Reader in 2018 I felt increasingly called to ordination was ordained Deacon in July 2021 after training with Lindisfarne.
Since becoming Deacon, I have done several baptisms and I had been doing funerals for a few years. I am looking forward to presiding at the Eucharist and have two weddings planned for after July.
I enjoy the outdoors and love walking on the hills with only wildlife to hear and the beauty of God’s creation to see. I am involved with the local Weardale Museum as a trustee and steward and also with our Village Hall as trustee and helper.
Susan Sweeting
To serve the Group of the Annunciation in Sunderland
Hi my name is Susan Sweeting. I am just about at the end of my first year as deacon.
Before being ordained I worked within the NHS full time for thirty-one years managing a GP surgery.
When I began to discern God’s call I trained for 3 years and was licensed in Durham Cathedral as an Authorised Pastoral Assistant. I then trained for 3 years to be a Reader, and at the end of that training continued on for another year with ordination training, and was awarded a degree in Theology, Mission and Ministry a few months after being ordained deacon.
This has been a fantastic year and I have learned and experienced so much and met so many wonderful people. This journey with God is truly amazing. God is truly amazing. Serving God and God’s people is a huge privilege and truly amazing.
Every day is a blessing and I am so looking forward to being ordained priest, to be able to preside at the Eucharist, and be able to feed God’s people and bestow His love and blessings upon them.
I am looking forward to growing fully into my role as priest seeing where God is going to lead me in the coming years.
Heather Wallace
To Serve St Luke's
I was born and have lived in Sunderland, working in the NHS as a nurse and midwife for 34 years and now retired.
I was brought up a Christian and baptized in the Church of England as a baby. I was confirmed later in life after returning to Church in 2001 and taking part in the Faith and Life and Living Theology Today courses.
God called me into lay ministry which led me to become a Reader in 2013 at St Luke’s Church. During this time, I was licensed to take funerals. In 2018 God called me to an ordained ministry and last year I was ordained deacon at Durham Cathedral.
During the last year I have been drawn deeper into the life of St Luke’s Church Pallion my home church for my curacy. At the moment St Luke’s is in vacancy and my Area Dean is my training incumbent. It as been a year where I have been able to explore my new role and leadership.
Edward Gunn