Photos: Ordinations of priest taking place in 2024
It’s an exciting time as we look forward to this year's Petertide ordination services in which thirteen people will be ordained deacon or priest in Rochester Cathedral.
There are two ordination services taking place on 28 June. Both will be livestreamed; one for those being ordained deacon, and one for those being ordained priest.
- Join the livestream for the ordination of priests (11am)
- Join the livestream for the ordination of deacons (3pm)
Being ordained often follows a long journey of someone exploring their calling, of having their calling tested by the Church, and several years of training.
All of the ordinands bring a variety of talents and perspectives, adding to the diversity of the Diocese. Find out more about some of the ordinands below
God has a plan for each and every one of us. It may be to ordained ministry, lay ministry, or living out our call in another way in our daily life. Explore how God may be calling you.
Visit: www.rochester.anglican.org/everyday-faith/gods-plan-for-you/
Being ordained a deacon
Being made a deacon is the foundation of all ordained ministry. For the six people who are to be ordained deacon in the Diocese, the service marks a special moment.
It is the moment they will be given the title ‘the Reverend’, can wear a dog collar, and lead services as an assistant curate (trainee vicar) in their parish.
Photo: Last year's deacons' receive a bible from the Bishop of Rochester
Following their ordination, the deacons will spend the first three or four years of their ministry working as curates in a church with an experienced priest.
These priests work with the curates to prepare them for their future ministry in the church - a bit like an apprenticeship.
All those being ordained deacons this year are:
- Amy Brown
to serve in the benefice of Erith, St John and the benefice of Christ Church Erith
- Graeme Copestake
to serve in the benefice of Cliffe at Hoo with Cooling
- Stephanie Maurel
to serve in the benefice of St John, Sidcup with All Saints, Footscray
- Scott Norwood Witts
to serve in the benefice of Fawkham and Hartley and the benefice of Longfield
- Ann Ruby
to serve in the benefice of Holy Trinity, South Chatham
- Amanda Willmont
to serve in the benefice of St Luke, Tunbridge Wells
Find out more about some of the ordinands below
The deacons will continue to listen to God, and how they may be being called to other ministries, perhaps in hospitals, schools, or prisons as chaplains, and growing in their faith.
Being ordained a priest
After a year of curacy, most deacons will be ordained a priest. For some, they will feel called to continue in ministry as distinctive deacon.
Those being ordained priest this year are:
- Ajisola Adeloye
to serve in the benefice of St Barnabas, St Paul’s Cray
- Timothy Aldred
to serve in the benefice of St Mary’s Hayes
- Carol Bridge
to serve in the benefice of Kent Downs and Malling Team
- Laura Polaine
to serve in the benefice of St Peter and St Paul, Bromley
- Mark Sanger
to serve in the benefice of Christ Church and St Paul, Anerley
- Rebecca Willoughby
to serve in the benefice of St Augustine with St Luke, Bromley Common
- Michael Barton Woodhouse
to serve in the benefice of Greenhithe and Swanscombe
As well as having hands laid on their head by the bishop, other priests are invited to join the bishop at that point of the service.
Please pray for all the ordinands, their families and friends, and the communities they will serve.
Meet the deacons
Prior to exploring ordination, I have spent twelve happy years teaching in primary schools in the Medway Towns where I (mostly) taught infants and was variously responsible for the teaching of music, phonics and early reading and the designated teacher for looked after children.
For me, the call to ordination took a long time to crystalise into something which I understood and could verbalise.
Like many people, it was something that had been recognised in me by others long before I could recognise it in myself.
Lockdown, while indescribably awful in many ways, was a time when I was really able to focus on what was important to me and it enabled me to build a rhythm of prayer and scripture reading which was, and continues to be, foundational.
During this time, I also walked Pilgrim’s Way from Winchester to Canterbury (when restrictions began to be lifted) and it was at the end of this – something that started as a walk but finished as a pilgrimage – that I knew I had to keep walking the way of faith. And so I pushed on the door of ordination to see where it led.
I am excited to have been called to serve in Erith, a town on the ancient pilgrimage route from Southwark. It is my hope that I will be able to join in with what God is already doing in there, to love and serve God and the community and helping people to identify themselves as God’s pilgrim people.
As a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor, I am a Partner in practice at TC Group. I am also an Ashridge trained Executive Coach.
My greatest professional joy has been to help people.
It seems a lifetime away, given the training for ordination, but I still love swimming (preferably outdoors), cycling, and running (in that order!).
The most standout moments in my journey have been in the support and encouragement I have had from many people, but most notably, my friends Brad and Esther and Mark and Claire, for sharing their homes and their lives with us.
Jonathan Jennings (for being my curry buddy), Joel Love (for being alongside me), Jessica Smith (especially in the lockdown years), Ruth Bierbaum (for her welcome to Chaplaincy in Medway Hospital), Mandy Carr (for the enormous support she gave to me and my family), Catherine Williams and Paul Williams (for their love and support and confidence boost), Clifford Stocking (for his patience and reassurance).
My colleagues Trevor and Ben, who see the worst and best of me so I am pleased they can come to the ordination. Firstly and finally, my wife, Sharon (who has had to endure the ‘I can’t do this’, more times than is recommended!). Her support, her example, and her love, have been without limits.
It was amazing to see how all these people gave so freely in support of my calling; however distant it felt to me. John 21:19 - ‘Then he said to Peter, Follow me.’ When Christ restores Peter, he equips Peter to his full potential. From the friends mentioned earlier, I saw invitation and love extended to reach wholeness.
On my ordination, I wish to honour my calling. But I want to honour the calling for us all, into every workplace.
I am thankful for my friends, Brad and Esther who remind me we see Christ in the gardener, when we walk along the road, and as a stranger on the shoreline. I pray I continue to expect to see Christ in the unexpected.
Stephanie Maurel
I started my career in the commercial sector, my first job was with British Steel based at the hot and cold steel works in South Wales.
From there, I moved into the automotive sector and worked across the UK and into France, ending up in marketing and strategy roles for Renault based out of Paris.
I became disillusioned with the commercial sector and moved back to the UK in 2010 to take up a role with Sport England in the run-up to the Olympics.
The role I currently do is CEO of the Corporation of Church House, which means I run the charity which is a landlord to the National Church Institutions in Westminster.
I have volunteered as a chaplain at a local hospital and this is where I feel at home, working with the older people and those in need.
I felt a calling very early on – when I was still in my early teens, but as I was in a catholic church I was told my only option was to be a nun as altar boys had to be boys.
My calling returned strongly when I was 30 and I tried not to listen. I walked into a Church of England church with a child under each arm and the sun shone through the most amazing green stained-glass window and it was like the holy spirit was telling me I was home – and welcome!
I stayed at that church for 15 years and each time God called me to ministry I responded by getting more involved in church life but not stepping onto the ordained path.
I led junior church, joined the PCC as secretary, I even changed my job and worked for a faith-based charity, but whilst this was all amazing and I loved it, God was still calling me to something else.
A lovely group of friends sat me down and said that they thought I needed to consider ordination and every hymn I sang felt like it was being sung to me personally, each sermon was a message to me and I eventually said ‘ ok, God, let’s do it Your way’!
I have not looked back and am so pleased that I listened (in the end).
My heart swells with hope for the ministry ahead and the beloved community we'll build in God's name. Ordination is a sacred vow to serve Christ with compassion.
It’s a commitment to listen to the unheard, lead with humility, and reflect Christ’s love in all things. Inspired by the wisdom of Dolly Parton, who said, "If you see someone without a smile, give them yours," I pray to bring warmth, justice, and divine joy to our fellowship.
May our church, by God's grace, be a rising tide, lifting every soul, especially those without voice or oar, in His boundless love.
Ann Ruby
As a child, I twirled through life in ballet shoes, winning competitions in both ballet and tap—and by 21, that passion carried me all the way from New Zealand to London.
But when injury abruptly closed the curtain on my dance career, I found a new stage behind the scenes, working in arts administration at iconic institutions like the Royal Opera House and the National Theatre.
Eventually, my path led me to St Paul’s Cathedral, where I served as an Executive Assistant. It was there, surrounded by sacred space and ancient echoes, that my long-quiet faith was rekindled.
Since then, I’ve followed a calling to work where meaning matters, across the charity, arts, and faith sectors, always drawn to places where small acts can spark real change.
Today, I’m the Operations Manager for a small charity focused on improving mental health in the construction industry and other high-risk sectors.
Even as I felt the pull toward ordination, I had plenty of reasons to resist. I told myself I wasn’t ready, not the right fit, not the one. But one by one, those excuses gave way.
With encouragement from those who knew me best, I finally stopped running. I said yes to God, and that yes has brought me to this extraordinary moment.
The story of Moses and the Burning Bush has always spoken to me, because it’s a reminder that God waits. Patiently. Lovingly. Even when we offer excuse after excuse, God stands there, fire blazing, until we finally say yes.
I carry immense gratitude for the people who have walked alongside me, whose love, laughter, and unwavering encouragement have carried me to this threshold.
As I prepare to step into this new chapter, I’m deeply moved by the words of the ordinal, a humbling reminder that all of this is only possible “by the help of God.” I don’t know exactly what lies ahead, but I am ready.
I step into this calling not as a beginning, but as the unfolding of all I have lived and believed. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that God delights in surprises.
Amanda Willmont
We have a God of surprises. Five or six years ago the prospect of ordained ministry was simply not on the agenda.
I found faith as an adult, largely through the love and friendship of the toddler group at my then church.
I was PCC Secretary, helped with Sunday school, often led intercessions and served on many a rota, but God consistently indicated that my primary calling was to care for my family, which was indeed vital.
Then, in lockdown, when life for many became quieter, I had a sudden and urgent sense that now was the time to move from more administrative functions into something new.
People from all walks of my life started asking if I had considered ministry, a good friend harried me onto a “What’s Your Calling?” day, and my vocations advisor told me kindly but firmly to get out of my comfort zone and set my eyes on discernment for ordination.
And here I am.
Like Moses, my initial response to God’s rather challenging call was, “Send someone else.” However, God gently but persistently places us back on His path for us when we hesitate and gives us the strength to continue.
I am still unsure whether I am more of a numbers or a words person, but I am sure that I love both God and people and that God has been preparing me all the while for this new calling as deacon.
I am excited to serve in my new parish and to discern alongside the Incumbent and people where God might be leading us and using all our gifts for the kingdom.