Bishop ordains 37 clergy to serve in Greater Manchester

Some of the Priests ordained on Saturday


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Published: 29 June 2009

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Over 3,000 people attended the ordination services over the weekend when 17 deacons and 20 priests were ordained at Manchester Cathedral. The new clergy will serve in parishes across Greater Manchester. 

The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, said: “Ordinations are always special occasions. Each of our 37 ordinands has been through a prayerful selection process and received full training. So the day of ordination represents the end of one part of a journey and the start of another. It is an honour for a bishop to be part of that journey. I hope the many communities across Greater Manchester will pray for these new clergy as they begin their work.”

One of the new deacons, Helen Scanlan, 42, is a registered child minder. She was brought up in Gorton and had had no contact with church when she was invited by a Brownie, for whom she was child minder, to go to a Christingle service one Christmas. She didn’t really want to go but didn’t want to let the child down either, so she went to St George’s, Dane Bank for the service; that was 10 years ago.

Helen recalls, “As I walked into the church I felt as though I had been away for years and now I had 'arrived home'. It was a life-changing experience. I knew nothing of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, yet in one moment I knew I had to stay at this church. I was changed; it was an amazing and powerful moment in my life that I will never forget – I felt an overwhelming sense of love and compassion. I knew there was a God and everything was going to be OK; I just had to work out what I was going to do next.”

It has taken Helen some years to work out where that journey would take her. She will continue to work as a child minder while serving as a non-stipendiary minister at St Mary’s, Heaton. She said,

“I’m very excited about the prospect of joining St Mary’s. It’s the first time they’ve ever had a curate and they are excited about the possibilities too. I hope to bring some excitement and stir them up a bit! I also feel quite apprehensive about the future. It’s a huge step. I know God has called me to take this step of faith but it’s a scary place to be.”

Paul Robinson is a Finance Director for a Development Agency in Huddersfield. He helps mentor start-up businesses and was nominated for Young Director of the Year last year.

Paul likes to see the church actively involved in the community and since being a member of St Anne’s, Royton for the last 6-7 years has served as a school governor, a scout leader, and has got involved in fair trade issues.

As an ordained minister at St Anne’s, Paul wants to engage with people on the fringe of the church. He will be doing marriage preparation courses, visiting baptism families, and running Alpha and confirmation courses. He will try to develop further links with schools in the area.

Paul said, “I feel quite nervous about ordination, but excited about the challenges ahead.”

The increase in people coming forward is partly due to the success of local training schemes and the careful encouragement of parish clergy.


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