My Ordination Experience

By Rev’d Birgitta Rolston

Waiapu Cathedral, 29 November 2025

I was privileged to be ordained Deacon at Waiapu Cathedral last weekend and have been asked to write a brief article about my experience.

It is actually difficult to know where to start, as really my whole discernment and formation process [to date, as this is on-going of course] has been leading towards my experiences on Saturday, but that would mean writing a book!

So – highlights of the event itself!

One of the reasons that the Anglican church in New Zealand first attracted me is that I come from Anglican UK stock, and my childhood was embedded in English cathedrals and beautiful, high church liturgy and mysticism. There are definite echoes of this in our own Anglican church here in New Zealand, and those subtle similarities definitely seek out and settle into a spiritual nook in my heart.

When I arrived at the cathedral on Saturday, I was surrounded with memories of my childhood and Gloucester cathedral. The sheer magnificence and scope of the building itself and then the added dimension of seeing so many fully robed priests who have trod this path before me, and who were there now, today, to support both me and Derry, as we both started this new chapter of our journey with the church and with God, together.

Derry [Dermot] Boylan and I started this journey together way back on our Discernment weekend in Auckland last year. It was incredibly special to share this day with him as well, and to see him ordained as a Priest as I was ordained Deacon.

The power and beauty of the organ, booming out across this vast space, the cathedral choir whose voices held all our singing together, and the quiet, reassuring strength and leadership of both Bishop Andrew and our mentor Deborah Broome seemed to hold and enfold me.

I felt God there with me very intensely.

I felt very loved.

And I was filled with an extraordinary sense of joy.

I thank God, and our church, and our Bishop and leadership team for their trust in me.

For enabling me to believe that I can continue this journey with God by my side, and go out now as a newly ordained Deacon, into my community, and serve.

Thank you all so much.

In Christo.

Rev’d Birgitta Rolston

From left to right: The Rev'd Dr. Deborah Broome, Ministry Educator, The Rev'd Derry Boylan, The Right Rev'd Andrew Hedge, Bishop of Waiapu, The Rev'd Birgitta Rolston

The Rev'd Birgitta Rolston