Ordained today

St James hosted today the ordination to the priesthood/presbyterate of five curates from the Woolwich Episcopal Area, including our very own Jacob Mercer.

Bishop Christopher, assisted by Bishop Karowei, the Bishop of Woolwich, led the service which included music from an expanded singing group led by Roger, and the organ played by Nick.

A veritable swarm of clergy. including the candidates, their training incumbents, and the other priests who laid hands on them at the ordination, descended on St James (above).

It was wonderful to host this joyful service, which spilled over into the Churchyard afterwards for photos and refreshments.

This was the second ordination for our curates. Last year they were ordained at Southwark Cathedral as deacons, this year there were ordained in the three episcopal areas of the diocese as priests.

Tomorrow, as a result of today's service, Jacob will preside at Holy Communion for the first time at St James, and next Sunday he will do the same at St Anne's.

'Priest are called to be servants and shepherds among the people to whom they are sent' says the Ordination Service.

'They are to proclaim the word of the Lord.....They are to be messengers, watchmen and stewards of the Lord...to search for his children in the wilderness of this world's temptations, and to guide them through its confusions, that they may be saved through Christ for ever.'

We pray for Jacob, Timmy, Chris, Raymond and Christopher as they seek to do this in the power of the Holy Spirit.

One nice touch was the goody-bag provided by the Diocesan vocations team for children, which included a kind of ordained teddy bear  as a souvenir of the occasion: