On Saturday 11 May at 3 pm, a special Celebration Eucharist will be held at Hereford Cathedral to commemorate twenty-five years since female priests were ordained in Hereford.

On 7 May 1994, in a joyous service, fifteen women were the first female priests to be ordained as priests in Hereford Diocese. The service was brimming with uplifting words and music and the cathedral was filled with people celebrating the occasion. A key message throughout the service was the phrase ‘All shall be well’, inspired by the words of Julian of Norwich, ‘All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well’, whose Feast Day occurred the day after the ordination.

Twenty-five years on, the service on Saturday 11 May will celebrate not only this anniversary but also the ‘wholeness’ of priestly ministry in the diocese as men and women have ministered alongside each other as priests. The preacher at the service will be the Right Reverend John Saxbee and the current Dean of Women’s Ministry for the diocese, The Revd Preb Jane Davies, will be presiding. During the service, Lucy Bowen will be singing the Magnificat which was composed for the original occasion by Paul Isles, the Dean of Hereford at the time.

Everyone is welcome to attend the service which begins at 3 pm on Saturday 11 May. Following the service, tea and cake will be served in the Great Hall at the Bishop’s Palace.

For more information on this service please visit the Hereford Diocese website.