I was ordained a priest for the Diocese of East Anglia by Bishop Peter Collins on 21 September 2024 at the age of 78, 28 years after my ordination as a permanent deacon and 17 years after I was widowed. This was God’s answer and call to me when I asked in prayer whether I should retire after 25 years as a deacon or simply cut back gradually. And so, 18 months of study later, I was ordained, with my four daughters, who believe in God but not the Church, in joyful and tearful support. Bishop Peter asked me to be available to all the parishes in two deaneries, about 16 of them within a one hour journey, but with a default of helping out in the parish I have lived in for 45 years and served as a deacon for 28.
5:02 PM
Better late than never
Fr John Morrill, the Cambridge professor and Cromwellian scholar, shares his experience of becoming a priest at the age of 78
Fr John Morrill
7 min read
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