A new cohort of priests and deacons have been ordained in Blackburn Cathedral.

In six ceremonies, 12 Deacons and 12 Priests have been ordained to serve in The Church of England in Lancashire.

On Saturday (July 3) Bishop Julian, Bishop Philip and Bishop Jill each ordained four Priests at three smaller-than-usual services due to current covid restrictions.

The following day, it was the turn of the 12 Deacons to be ordained across three further services by Bishops.

The three Bishops were joined across the services by The Dean of Blackburn, The Very Rev. Peter Howell-Jones; the Archdeacon of Blackburn, The Venerable Mark Ireland and the Archdeacon of Lancaster, The Venerable David Picken.

Reflecting on the ceremonies, Bishop Julian said: “We now look forward to seeing God’s plan for the ministry of these men and women being worked out at parish level, as our Diocese enters a period of ‘unlocking’ in the months ahead.

“There are huge challenges and equally huge opportunities as we look to the future of Christian life in our nation and press forward locally with our recently refreshed Vision 2026, Healthy Churches Transforming Communities.

“So, we also pray at this time that there may be some who (through those special moments we witnessed at the Cathedral over the weekend) may themselves hear God’s call to a new form of service for a new and different time.”