Newly ordained priests and deacons a sign of the Anglican Church’s strong future

Newly ordained Anglican priests and deacons are a sign of a strong future for the church in Tasmania, Bishop Richard Condie says.

Newly ordaned Deacon Linda Chau with Bishop Richard Condie at St David's Cathedral in Hobart. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

NEWLY ordained Anglican priests and deacons are a sign of a strong future for the church in Tasmania, Bishop Richard Condie says.

Three priests — Jacob Crane of St David’s Cathedral, Tristan Dallas of St George’s Church in Battery Point, and Samuel Green, the interfaith chaplain at the University of Tasmania — and four deacons were ordained at St David’s Cathedral in Hobart on Saturday.

Dr Condie said most of the ordinands were aged in their 30s and the ordination of all seven showed the church faced a confident future.

“It is especially encouraging to have gifted young people ready to serve God in this way,” Dr Condie said.

“I have no doubt they will be a blessing to the communities in which they live and serve.”

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Linda Chau, whose husband Michael is the priest at Sandy Bay’s Wellspring parish, was ordained a deacon, along with Mark Barry from Launceston’s All Saints Network, Alistair Couch from Burnie’s All Saints Church, and Christopher Ochs from Barney’s Anglican Church in north Launceston.

Mrs Chau said she was already involved with the Wellspring congregation but wanted to become an ordained deacon to formalise her responsibilities.

The Chinese language congregation, which found its home at Wellspring in recent years, is one of the Anglican Church’s youngest congregations in Tasmania.

The congregation is celebrating 30 years this year.

Mrs Chau, who came to Tasmania for the first time in 2012, fell in love with Hobart and said God opened a door for her and her family to move from Melbourne in 2013 to be involved in the church in Tasmania.

She said a large proportion of the Wellspring congregation was made up of university students.

“After two or three years they leave [Hobart]. I want to transform that sadness into excitement,” she said.

“My dream or my focus is to not only teach them the gospel or share my life with them but also equip them to be mature leaders … to send them out to all parts of the world to work for God, to serve God.”

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