Cathedral June Cathedral June

Ordination of Deacons 2025

Twenty-one new Deacons will be ordained at services held at Chelmsford Cathedral on Sunday 14 September

Twenty-one new Deacons will be ordained at three services held at Chelmsford Cathedral on Sunday 14 September.

Ordination services

There will be three services held at, 11am, 2pm and 4.30pm. 

The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, will ordain deacons at both the 11am and 2pm service and the ordinations at the 4.30pm service will be conducted by the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Rev Rob Munro. 

The deacons ordained at the 4.30pm service serve in parishes that receive extended episcopal oversight from the Bishop of Ebbsfleet in accordance with the Church of England’s five guiding principles, which provide provision for those within the Church of England who, on grounds of theological conviction, do not receive the ministry of female bishops or priests.

Watch the services live on the links below: 

11am service led by the Rt Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani

2pm service led by the Rt Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani

4.30pm led by the led by the Rt Rev Rob Munro

Meet our new Deacons

We be introducing our new Deacons on our social media channels in the run up to the ordination services. Search @chelmsdio on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky with the hashtag #ChelmsdioNewRevs.

Barking Area

Barking Archdeaconry

Deji Adesida serving at St Chad’s, Chadwell Heath (Barking and Dagenham Deanery)

Peter Rajeevan serving at St Mary’s Becontree (Barking and Dagenham Deanery)

Samuel Topping serving at Becontree, St George & Chigwell School (Barking and Dagenham Deanery)

Carly Lucas serving the Benefice of Rainham with Wennington (Havering Deanery)

West Ham Archdeaconry

Neil Houghton serving at Walthamstow, St Saviour (Waltham Forest)

Sharon Yates serving at St Mark’s, Forest Gate (Newham Deanery)

Amy Taylor serving at Aldersbrook, St Gabriel (Redbridge Deanery)

Jacob Farley serving at All Saints with St Andrew's Woodford Wells (Redbridge Deanery)

Marcel Firth serving at St Mary’s, Great Ilford (Redbridge Deanery)

Michelle Steptoe serving at Holy Trinity Barkingside (Redbridge Deanery) - image coming soon.


Bradwell Area

Chelmsford Archdeaconry

Karen Eyles serving at Burnham-on-Crouch St Mary the Virgin (Maldon & Dengie Deanery)

Liz Gloyn serving withing the Epping Team Ministry (Epping Forest and Ongar Deanery)

Southend Archdeaconry

Jan Kersey serving the Benefice of Benfleet, Thundersley, and Hadleigh (Hadleigh Deanery)

Linda Saville serving at St John’s, Southend (Southend Deanery)

Mary Namubiru serving at LifeStreams Church (Southend Deanery)

Mike Simmonds serving at Westcliff-on-Sea St Saviour (Southend Deanery)

Nik Wright serving the Parish of Wickford and Runwell (Basildon Deanery) - image coming soon.


Colchester Area

Colchester Archdeaconry

Jo Jeffery serving at Christ Church, Colchester (Colchester Deanery)

Stef Jones serving at St Mark’s & St Luke’s, Colchester (Colchester Deanery)

Beccy Gregerson serving in the West Mersea Benefice (Witham Deanery)

Stansted Archdeaconry

Peter Tibbott serving Henham, Elsenham and Ugley (Saffron Walden Deanery) -  image coming soon.


Read more

You can also read more about our ordinations and new Deacons in the latest edition of the Diocesan Prayer Diary: We Pray.

Feeling called to stay engaged in the world of the ‘secular’ workplace: Samuel’s ordination story (page 36)

In responding to God’s call, Samuel Topping, followed a pathway to become a Minister in Secular Employment. Samuel is a school teacher and once he becomes ordained, part of his curacy will include chaplaincy in the school where he works.


Photos

Photos from the ordination services will be shared on our social media pages throughout the day. If you are attending of the ordination services, we would love to see your photos. Share them with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky - tag us in using @chelmsdio and use the hashtag #ChelmsdioNewRevs.


Ordained Ministry in our Diocese

If you feel that God is calling you to a role in the Church, there are many different opportunities. A good first step is to talk to your local clergy. You can find out more about Ministry in the Church of England, including ordained ministry by visiting the 'Exploring Vocations' page of our website. 


Follow @ChelmsDioVocations on Instagram

Follow our new Chelmsford Diocese Vocations (@ChelmsDioVocations) Instagram page which will be used to share news, resources, information and stories about Vocations in Chelmsford Diocese. Share this page with your networks and anyone interested in exploring their vocation in our diocese.


For more information or to report anything wrong with this page please contact The Communications Team