The bishops of Norwich, Thetford and Lynn have been busy welcoming new clergy to parishes across Norfolk.
Special church services have been held from Blofield to Blakeney and Hemsby to Heartsease, to licence priests to take charge of parishes and benefices across the Diocese of Norwich.
Bishop Graham said: “It is a joy to see clergy matched to parishes, and introduce them to their new congregations. I pray that every vacancy will be filled, so that the good news of life and love, brought by Jesus, can be heard and seen not just inside our churches, but out in every community too.
“These are men and women dedicated to serving the people of Norfolk and Waveney.”
Priests taking up their new roles include the Revd Andrew Tapsell who is the new Priest in Charge of the Blofield and Broadside benefices.
Andrew first came to Norwich to study illustration and fine art at Norwich School of Art and Design (now Norwich University of the Arts). He met his future wife in the city and said: “We are delighted to have returned to a part of the world in which we feel most at home.
“I am looking forward to working closely with the wonderful ministry team in our group of parishes, as well as deepening relationships with others from across the diocese. I am excited by the many missional opportunities this beautiful county has to offer.”
He worked in retail and as a freelance illustrator before being ordained in his home diocese of Canterbury and serving there as a clergyman. He was also involved in Scouting for many years and said it had helped inspire his love of the outdoors and work with children, young people and families.
“My calling into ordained ministry was one which grew steadily over many years,” said Andrew. “Taking note of the things which made me come alive, combined with listening to other people and prayerfully taking heed of their advice, I eventually spoke to a diocesan director of ordinands and never looked back.”
The Revd Heike Prentice who is the new Vicar of St Stephens in Norwich, had a sense of a calling to priesthood from a very early age. “But at that time being a woman meant those doors were closed,” she said.
Born in Germany, she moved to England almost 40 years ago. After working in administration and taking time out to be a mum and homemaker she trained as a direction and leadership coach and worked in leadership development for a Christian organisation.
Eventually she was able to respond to the calling she had felt from childhood and trained for ordination. Now a mother and grandmother, she arrives at St Stephen’s after being rector of a multi-parish benefice in Chelmsford. Both Heike and her husband Alistair felt immediately at home at St Stephen’s and particularly love the way it unites people to love, serve and worship together.
The Revd Jassica Castillo-Burley is the new Team Vicar for Great Yarmouth.
Jassica who had a career in pharmaceutical chemistry before ordination, was born and raised in Nottingham, where she was part of a Pentecostal church. When the call to ministry came, she and her husband, Roy, left their jobs, sold their house – and then discovered they had a baby on the way.
They followed the call anyway and Jassica trained with the Church of England, and arrives in Yarmouth from being an associate vicar in Oswestry, on the English/Welsh border. She was licensed by Bishop Graham at a service in Great Yarmouth Minster and says she is looking forward to finding out how God will use her to further his kingdom on earth.
In a busy four days at the end of July, Bishop Graham licensed the Revd Jonathan Dowman as Rector of the Glaven Valley benefice, at St Nicholas church, Blakeney, and the Revd David Bailey as Priest in Charge of Hemsby and Lound in a service at the church of St Mary the Virgin, Hemsby, and the Revd Ian Fifield as Vicar of Thorpe End at St David’s church, Thorpe End, Norwich,
Ian came to ordained ministry after a career in local government finance and auditing but said: “I have been around church all of my life, being taken to Sunday School by my parents and I made an active decision to follow Jesus at the age of 16.”
He and his wife Lisa lived in Norwich for five years from 1990s, and returned in 2015, when Ian felt called to ordained ministry. He trained part-time, while working and said: “I am looking forward to serving a very friendly and lively church and becoming part of parish life.”
Other clergy licensed to serve to parishes and benefices this summer include the Revd Sally McCubbin who is the new Team Vicar in Aylsham, the Revd Julian Bryant who was made Vicar of Heartease in a service at St Francis’ church, Heartsease, the Revd Darleen Plattin, who is now Rector of the Stalham and Smallburgh benefice, and the Revd Natalie Rees who was licensed as Rector of the Kessingland benefice by the Bishop of Thetford, the Rt Revd Bishop Ian Bishop, at St Edmund’s church, Kessingland.
In September the Revd Peter Stirling Farquhar will arrive from Luton to become Priest in Charge of the Church in the Woottons, the Revd Susan Mann will move from Essex to become Vicar of Hellesdon and the Revd Bruce-Julian Batstone will become Vicar of St Mark’s Lakenham, in Norwich.
