On 1 October, during a Eucharist at Bristol Cathedral the Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, Bishop of Bristol, ordained Revd Catriona Rawlins deacon for the Benefice of Hanham and Kingswood. Family and friends have gathered to celebrate and mark this important moment in her life and ministry.
Bishop Viv said:
“I am delighted to welcome Revd Catriona Rawlins as the new deacon for the Benefice of Hanham and Kingswood. Her ordination is a joyful response to God’s call to serve, and I invite you to join me in praying for her, the benefice, and her training incumbent as she begins this sacred journey.”
Catriona said:
“There is a fizzy joy and an overflowing contentment when you are doing what God calls you to. You feel fully alive! And there is no more beautiful, loving community than that of God’s family, the church.
I find myself here, getting ordained, because of these two things. My God, who has gently and lovingly cared for and guided me to this point and I know will never leave my side in the years ahead. And my church, spanning across my lifetime and the places I’ve lived. Through this family in Christ, I have known God; from my childhood church in Chatham, home church in Southampton, placement churches across Bristol, to my husband’s church in Keynsham. You are precious and beloved.
I cannot think of a better way to spend my life than to love and serve God and His people, just as I have been loved and served myself. I can’t wait to begin!"
Credit: Lee Pullen Photography