The 30th April 2024 marks 30 years since the first women were ordained as priests in Chelmsford Diocese at Chelmsford Cathedral.
To celebrate this important milestone, Chelmsford Diocese have produced a video looking back on that time with a message for those considering ordained ministry today.
The video features Revd Ann Easter, one of the first women to be ordained a Priest in Chelmsford Diocese. Ann who has served her entire ministry in various roles within the Newham Deanery, shares memories of her ordination service:
“It's hard to imagine that it's 30 years since I was made a priest in Chelmsford Cathedral… It was extraordinary the Cathedral was absolutely packed with people they'd got chairs everywhere… There was a huge buzz the bells going 19 to the dozen everything was amazing, very exciting!”
The video also features Archdeacon Elwin Cockett, the Archdeacon of West Ham, who was a Priest in the diocese at the time of the first ordinations of female priests; the Revd Funmilayo Vaughan who become a Priest in 2022 and is currently serving in the Great Baddow Team Ministry and The Revd Tim Goodbody our Diocesan Director of Ordinands.
In the video, Bishop Guli Francis -Dehqani, the Bishop of Chelmsford offers a message of thanks to all women currently serving in Chelmsford Diocese.
“I want to say a special thank you to all the women who are currently serving as Priests and Deacons in this diocese. They all make a huge contribution to the life of our diocese, I'm grateful for their faithfulness and for their commitment and I wish them every blessing in the future.”