Petertide Ordinations 2023 - Ely Cathedral

Elizabeth Baker

To serve in the Benefice of St Martin, Cambridge

Training lncumbent: The Revd Johannes Roth

Ed Green

To serve in the Benefice of St Benedict, Cambridge

Shortly to move to serve in the Benefice of St Mary the Less, Cambridge

Training lncumbent: The Revd Dr Rob Mackley

Lucinda Howard

To serve in the Benefice of Stapleford

Training lncumbent: The Revd Dr Simon Taylor

Jeanine Bossy

To serve in the Benefice of Cherry Hinton

Training lncumbent: The Revd Dr Karin Voth Harman

Bethan Rodden

To serve in the Benefices of Grantchester and St Mark, Newnham

Training lncumbent: The Revd Rachel Rosborough

From August: The Revd James Shakespeare

Maggie Tate-Druiff

To serve in the Benefice of The Ramseys and Upwood

Training lncumbent: The Revd lain Osborne

Nell Whiscombe

To serve in the Benefice of St John the Evangelist, Cambridge

Training lncumbent: The Revd James Shakespeare

Sharon Byrne

Hello, my name is Sharon Byrne, I am married to John and have two grown up children and three grandchildren.

For the last seven years I have been employed by St. George’s Church in Littleport as a pioneer worker and more recently as a child and family worker encouraging parents, children and young people to find community and to support them in their journey to faith. Prior to my call to ordained ministry, I worked as a qualified social worker with children and families in middle and senior management positions.

Some of my favourite things to do include listening to music, reading and spending time with family and working in the community. I am excited with the opportunities that curacy will bring including learning, serving, and ministering in a new benefice.

Edward Cearns

I have had a Christian faith since childhood and it has stood the test during challenging times. I’ve felt God’s call to ordained ministry since my teenage years, but as for many, the path has taken many twists and turns and God has given me the experience to be ready in His time. Through my journey of mission and evangelism, I have served my community as a local Councillor and Marketplace Chaplain. I now work as an artist alongside ministry, seeing creativity as an outflowing of the Spirit.

As a curate I will continue to seek the world in the church and the church in the world, inviting others into a relationship with Christ and working for the realisation of the Kingdom through social justice. I feel the strength that the parish church is there for all people in the community, to provide a ministry of word and sacrament, pastoral care, and social action.

Gideon Emmanuel

I grew up in London in a Christian household and I am very fortunate not to remember a time when I wouldn’t have called myself a Christian. After graduating from studying engineering at university, I served at my local church for few months before heading to South Africa on a short-term mission trip which spanned over two-years.

After returning from South Africa, I sensed a call into full time vocations ministry whilst re-training to be a lawyer. After some time, I decided to primarily focus on exploring my sense of calling into full-time ordained ministry.

I’ve spent the past three years training for ministry in London. I am married with two young children, and I enjoy watching most sports on tele, especially during the Olympics.

Robert Hawkins

Rob grew up in London, and originally wanted to be an artist. He came to Cambridge for university, studying History of Art. It was while singing in chapel choirs at university that he found his Christian faith, decided to be baptised, and began to consider ordained ministry. He carried on studying, writing a PhD on medieval sculpture which incorporated some theological questions.

Alongside the PhD he did volunteer hospital chaplaincy at Addenbrookes, and this helped to strengthen a sense of vocation to pastoral ministry. He then spent a year as Parish Assistant in Fulbourn and the Wilbrahams, before coming to Westcott House to study theology and to train for ordination.  He continues to write about art and faith. He is moving to the parish of St James, Cambridge for his curacy. He is husband to Fran, who is also an art historian.

Barnabas Leeke

My initial calling to preach and lead services led me to train to become a Licensed Lay Minister, and I continued in this ministry for nearly nine years. It was partly through my experiences leading Forest Church, a Fresh Expression held in the local primary school grounds, that I began to feel God telling me I had something different to offer.

The ‘burning bush’ moment for me was at work though, when an agnostic colleague among my team of scientific support staff at the University of Cambridge told me out of the blue, “you should be a vicar.” This lit a spark in me that has been fanned into flame through discernment, spiritual direction, prayer and training with the ERMC. To the point that I am now excited about something that just a few years ago would have filled me with horror!

Steven McGregor

Steven is father to three young children and husband to Celina. Before settling in Cambridge, he served as a paratrooper in the US Army and was decorated in combat. He went on to pursue postgraduate studies in Anthropology, History and Theology, particularly enjoying the study of koine Greek (finding that it did indeed provide food for thought and enrich his faith as his supervisor so hoped).

During those years spent at the University he was President of Cambridge’s boxing club and served as sacristan in Peterhouse Chapel. He grew up in a Christian home and hopes to pass on that same love, faith and tradition to his own family and others. He looks forward to the day when 'they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.'

Virginia Moggridge

To follow my vocation and my heart, I am giving up my legal career after 24 years as a solicitor, which was itself a second career; I initially spent 4 years lecturing in higher education. This is definitely my last career change!

We have lived in Snailwell for nearly 10 years, having moved from Lincolnshire where we lived for over 20 years; my husband’s work as a helicopter and fixed wing pilot brought us further south. He is now retired from commercial flying but can still be seen in the skies as he instructs for one of the Cambridge flying schools, which he loves doing, and he looks after our Airbnb which runs from the derelict stables he renovated, next to our house.

In any spare time (!) I love spending time in our garden, with our 3 Labradors, and when we can, going to see our 2 grandsons aged 3 and 6 – they live some way away in Lincoln but we catch up when we can.

Sarah Newns

Sarah grew up in Ely, at the age of 19 she studied Youthwork and theology at Ridley Hall, whilst living and working in Peterborough as a youth worker. 10 years ago, she returned to Ely where she had her two daughters and continued to work with children in various settings, before getting her job in the Cathedral as a Learning Officer. She has loved this role and has devolved it over the past 5 years and very much values all the experiences she has gained as she goes into full time ministry both in Waterbeach and in the Cathedral.

In her spare time Sarah loves to bake and take her girls away on fun adventures. Alongside Sarah's role as curate, Sarah will also minister at Ely Cathedral from within the Learning Department, on projects and activities that focus on community engagement, spiritual and faith development for children, families and young people.

Leo Orobor

Leo grew up in a Christian family. Whilst studying for his A Levels in Northamptonshire, he met Ully (pronounced You-Lee) and they got married in 2006. Leo studied Law & Politics at ARU, Cambridge, and fell in love with Cambridge City.

Leo is passionate about evangelism and sports and founded Corinthians FT in 2010, coaching a non-league football team for teenage and young adults, raising leaders through the discipline of faith and football. Leo’s experiences span across the civil service, youth & community work and he joined the Ely Diocese Changing Market Town project in Ramsey in 2018.

Leo volunteered as Chaplain at the Teenage Cancer Trust ward in Addenbrookes Hospital, and his passion for faith and football led him to be Chaplain for Cambridge Football United. Leo is thrilled by the adventure of being a deacon and curate in Yaxley, joined by his wife Ully, and two children, Anneka (14) and Gabrielle (12). He enjoys movies, good music, and anything football.

Nicholas Romans

Hi I’m Nick. I’m married to Karen, have three energetic boys and two gerbils! We moved to Cambridgeshire in 2017 from New Zealand where I worked as a wine merchant. I started following Jesus age 19 while at University, and since moving back to England we’ve been part of a church family in South Cambs. The last three years I’ve been studying at a Theological college in Cambridge.

From a young age, I’ve been energised by being around people young and old. Since becoming a parent it’s been wonderful to make some new connections with people at the ‘school gate’ or football or cricket pitch.

Karen & I love the outdoors, enjoy home cooking (receiving as well as creating!) and very much look forward to joining the church family in Impington and Histon.

David Tisdall

I’m a farm animal vet, who God called to be a vicar. I used to tell vet students how to look after cows and sheep, but my real passion is talking about Jesus. I guess God has shifted my focus to another flock. I grew up in an Anglican church, encountered God’s Spirit at Soul Survivor festivals in my teenage years, and grew to love God’s word during my undergraduate years at Bristol through the student ministry of an Anglican church.

I got my first taste of theological study through Westminster Theological College and was hooked. I love hill walking, catering on mass, and drumming. I’m married to a consultant anaesthetist, and we have two children under three. We’ve just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary.

Sarah West

Sarah moved to Cambridge in 2012 where she lives with her husband Ant, and their dog, Talisker. Before training at Westcott House, Sarah worked as a scientist. After completing her PhD on the genetics of Colorectal Cancer in 2011, her research focussed on identifying genetic risk of complex diseases.

Sarah loves music and enjoys choral evensong and creating liturgy incorporating choral music into contemplative worship and prayer. Indeed, singing traditional church music in the fellowship of two small choirs was instrumental in developing her Christian faith. However, her call to ordained ministry began sitting in a lecture theatre in 2012 listening to the Rev Samuel Wells. This kindled a hunger to engage more fully, read more widely and grow in discipleship, and eventually enter the discernment process.

Sarah also enjoys sharing food with friends, baking, and walking with the dog, and is excited to begin the next chapter of her journey as a deacon in rural Cambridgeshire.