“The beginning of a distinct life of Service”
It is traditional in the Church of England to ordain candidates on the Sunday nearest Petertide (the feast day of St Peter and St Paul) – which this year was 26th June. Our own Sarah de Bats, after recently completing a degree in Theology and her ministerial course at Cuddesdon, Oxford was duly ordained at Norwich Cathedral on that day.
It was a wonderful service, enjoyed by a packed Cathedral. There were 10 ordinands and the service was taken by the three Bishops of the Diocese of Norwich. The Dean who preached noted that deacons (as Sarah was being ordained to be) were a reminder of the call to the service of others and that Jesus showed what that service was to look like very practically when he washed his disciples feet. The liturgy and atmosphere was joyful, the hymns and songs uplifting and the choir sublime. After the service those of us from Scotland (of which there were many!) congratulated Sarah and met the Bishop in the beautiful cloisters. Sarah will now serve her curacy at 5 churches in the north of the Diocese: Blakeney, Cley near the sea, Wiveton, Glandford and Letheringsett.
God bless Sarah in her new ministry. 
