The Diocese of Bristol is delighted to announce the ordination of ten new Priests on Saturday 5th July 2025. These faithful individuals have completed their diaconal year and are now stepping into the next stage of their ordained ministry. Each brings a unique story of calling, service, and spiritual growth. As they prepare to be ordained as Priests, we give thanks for their dedication, the communities that have nurtured them, and the ministries they will continue to lead and inspire.
Please join us in prayer and celebration as we mark this joyful and significant moment in their journey of faith.
Meet the 2025 Priest Ordination Candidates
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Simon Atkins The Benefice of Holy Trinity with St Gabriel St Lawrence and St Jude, Easton known as Easton Christian Family Centre “The past two years since my ordination as Deacon have certainly not been uneventful, not least due to a bicycle accident in January 2024 which left me with a badly broken shoulder. Despite that hiccup, I am thoroughly enjoying life as a curate at Easton Christian Family Centre where many in our church family are asylum seekers and refugees. Easton itself is a lively and challenging place in which to serve, and I have been privileged to join in with what God is doing amongst some of our city’s most marginalised people by forming links with the Wild Goose Café and the charity Beloved. I’ve also been getting to know some of our many Muslim neighbours. I particularly thank my wife Nikki, as well as David and the members of ECFC for their ongoing support and encouragement. And I am looking forward to the new and exciting formational opportunities that God has for me- and will help me through- as a newly ordained priest.” |
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Megan Barrick The Benefice of St Paul Southville and St Aldhelms “This year has gone by so quickly! Maybe it’s something about the year being full of ‘firsts’, new experiences, and new people. In some ways, it all still feels new as I continue to discover who God is calling me to be. There have been moments of ‘I can’t believe I get to be part of this!’ and moments of ‘what am I doing?!’, but in it all, I have felt God’s presence and call deeper. I am so grateful for the way the communities of Southville and Bedminster, and my training incumbent, Jacqui, have welcomed, supported, and encouraged me, especially as I have been navigating all the ‘firsts’ of this year. I have learnt SO much from you all and look forward to continuing to journey together. I look now to priesting and onwards, and pray God will help me to continue to follow him wherever he leads, full of hope and expectation." |
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Dawn Beresford The Benefice of Draycot “It has been wonderful to reconnect with the Draycot Benefice, after three years with the Woodbridge group of churches, whilst completing my Diploma in Theology, Ministry and Mission at Sarum College. My Deacon year has been a whirlwind of new experiences and learning, exploring my changing role as a Deacon within my supportive and encouraging sending Benefice, alongside my work in school. I am so grateful to my beautiful family, friends, colleagues and church community for all of your prayers, wise words and loving support. Many thanks to Janet Robbins, my Spiritual director who has guided and counselled me through this whole journey from LLM to Priest, and Revd Suzanne, my training incumbent for all of her patience, guidance and gentle encouragement to step out of my comfort zone and try new things. I can’t wait for what God has in store for me next." "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13) |
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Juliet Dellow The Benefice of Saint Matthew and Saint Nathanael, Bristol “While I was on my discernment journey and during training, many people said to me ‘Oh yes, it’s clear you’re called to ordination’. I never understood what they meant. I knew that I was doing what God wanted me to do, but they clearly saw something in me that I didn’t see. This year has been a year of beginning to see that thing for myself. I’ve loved my first year as a Curate, it feels like I’ve put on a coat that’s exactly the right fit. It hasn’t been without its challenges, but I feel really blessed to be at St Matthew’s church and grateful for the support of all who are there, as well as the love and support of friends and family. I’m looking forward to being priested and continuing to learn to walk with God in the next season.” |
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Kester de Oliveira The Benefice of All Saints and Saint Mary, Fishponds “When I was young becoming a Priest would have been the last thing I would have ever pictured myself doing! My family was not religious, but God was always at work in my life, I was aware of Gods call but I did my best to ignore it, happy to be distracted by life. I worked as a librarian at the University of Cambridge Divinity Faculty for 7 years until a perfect storm of health and other issues stripped away all the structures I had assembled in my life to cope, throwing me onto God. In that time of anguish, God heard me, and I felt held and loved. A priest encouraged me to pursue my sense of calling, leading me to train at Sarum College in Salisbury. Now I’m serving in 2 Fishponds churches and loving being in such a diverse and welcoming community.” |
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Neil Fisher The Benefice of West Swindon and Lydiard Tregoze “Sometimes I have to pinch myself that God has called me to this ministry. But there is a deep sense of knowing when what you are doing feels right, and this past year has strengthened that feeling. It has been a privilege and joy to walk alongside people in the significant moments of their lives, enabling them to encounter God in new and meaningful ways. Through the joys and challenges, I have felt held and loved by clergy colleagues and congregations in the parishes I serve, as well as support from family, friends and colleagues at work. This past year has been one of growth, surprise, grace, flourishing, and deeper spiritual fulfilment. God’s love and strength have carried me through and will continue to do so, and as I look ahead, I do so with gratitude and anticipation, excited to continue this amazing, Spirit-filled journey that is set before me.” |
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Jason Lee The Benefice of St Peter’s Chippenham and in the Parish of Lacock with Bowden Hill “The day before my ordination as a Deacon, I sensed God give me the word breathe. I wrote it on my collar as a reminder and entered curacy with excitement—full of ideas and wondering what God might do in the year ahead. For me, breathe has been an encouragement to pause, to be still, and to notice where God is already at work. This past year has brought its share of challenges, but also moments of deep joy. Through it all, I’ve held onto the word God gave me before any of it began. I am deeply grateful to the communities of Lacock and Chippenham for the warmth with which they have welcomed me and my family. I’m thankful for the prayer, wisdom, and guidance of Rev Si Dunn and the Ministry Team. Most of all, I could not have walked this journey without the support of my wonderful family—I’m so thankful for them.” |
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Catriona Rawlins The Benefice of Hanham and Kingswood “Like wearing in new shoes, or any big changes in life, being ordained will take some time to fit into, and for me it will certainly take more than a year to settle into. So this year as a Deacon has been…a lot. It’s been busy, fun, hard, full of questions; it’s felt like a privilege, a blessing, and it’s felt unsure. It’s been full of new opportunities and times where I have thought ‘huh, I was kinda good at that’. It has asked 150% of me. (So I think that means I’ve had an average Deacon year.) A friend recently asked: ‘So was it the right thing, getting ordained? Or are you asking yourself ‘what on earth have I done?’ The answer is, yes, sometimes I wonder what on earth I have done but also yes, it was the right thing because God’s calling for me has never faltered. And this is what I hold onto as I come to priesting. Do I want to turn back? No, there is only stepping forward on the journey that God has guided me on, trusting in and knowing him beside me all the way.” |
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Charlotte Stansfield The Benefice of Stratton Saint Margaret with South Marston and Stanton Fitzwarren “I have sensed throughout this year as Deacon that God has placed me here in Swindon. It is humbling to reflect that God has ministered to others through me. I have also been blessed as God has ministered to me through other people. Becoming an ordained person and all that this entails is quite an adjustment! At the same time, I am aware of the privilege and blessing of living out my calling as I walk alongside people in the church community week by week, and others encountered through baptisms and funerals and in other contexts. I look forward to learning what it means to be a priest in a community of believers and in the wider world. Only by God’s strength can I do this, and I am so thankful too for the love, support and prayers of family and friends and of the people of Stratton Team Ministry.” |
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Joanne Winson To serve in the Bishops Mission Order of Pattern Church and the Benefice of St Augustine, Swindon “My first year as a Deacon at Pattern Church has been a deeply formative journey. Immersed in a community that is passionate about sharing Jesus and serving Swindon, I’ve grown in faith, character, and confidence. I’ve learned that ministry often happens in the ordinary, quiet moments. It has been a privilege to walk with people through the highs and lows of life, offering presence and prayer. This year has also shown me the beauty of servant-hearted leadership and the joy of seeing God at work in others. As I look ahead to ordination into the Priesthood, I do so with joy and excitement, I long to grow as a leader who points to Jesus, nurtures the church, and invites others into the transforming love of God. I am so thankful for the amazing and loving support that I receive from all my family, friends, church family and clergy colleagues. |
As these ten individuals are ordained as Priests, we celebrate not only their personal journeys of faith but also the communities that have walked alongside them. Their ministries will continue to grow and flourish as they serve with compassion, wisdom, and joy. We give thanks for their courage in answering God’s call and pray that their priestly ministry will be a blessing to all they encounter.