Southsea reverend continues his journey by being ordained for second time to become a priest
A LIFE-CHANGING moment of clarity led Bryan Stephenson on a journey to become a member of the clergy - and he was just ordained for the second time.
Bryan was first ordained at Portsmouth Cathedral last year by the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Christopher Foster, to become a reverend and lead services.
This weekend, Bryan was ordained again at St Luke’s Church, Southsea, to become a priest, meaning he can now lead Communion services.
Bryan was working for Portsmouth City Council in a child protection role when he felt called to become a member of the clergy after going on a course about Christianity.
He said: ‘It was really, for me, an epiphany, that moment that hits you. I’d only been to church for a friend’s christening and weddings for most of my adult life.
‘We were reading Mark’s gospel and we got to the part where Jesus was arrested and where Jesus was tortured and whipped. [I had] this overwhelming sense of feeling that pain of his and actually thinking this was real.’
This life-changing moment led Bryan on his journey to being ordained twice and getting involved with the community he loves at St Luke’s in Southsea.
Bryan said: ‘My prayer for St Luke’s is there’s a number of people now after this lockdown who are on the edge, on the fringes. People that have joined us online, and have got a little piece of what St Luke’s is about and I would love for us to be able to build on that.
‘We want to welcome them in, we want to pray for people to find that love that is St Luke’s.’