Mrs Cliff said: “I was only eight months into ordained ministry – nothing had prepared any minister for this scenario.
“I have loved being part of the journey and baptising 38 children and nine adults in my time here.”Įarly the following year the pandemic happened. She was my first one – it all went well and that was really lovely. Mrs Cliff said: “It was exactly seven days after my arrival. In her first week she was asked to conduct a baptism. She studied for two years at Durham University’s College of Theology and was confirmed as curate at Barnard Castle.
She said: “I was a re-married divorcee, which is also challenging in the Church of England, but obviously God wanted me because every time there was a hurdle as I made my way through (the process) it was cleared.” After studying part time for three years, she became a lay-preacher at All Saints Blackwell, in Darlington.Įven when church regulations changed, it was still difficult for her to enter the priesthood. The former credit manager said she had always “had a feeling God was calling me to do something”.Īt the time women could not be ordained. Her last service will be on March 12, before she takes over as vicar at St John the Divine, in Sandylands, part of the Diocese of Blackburn. The Revd Sarah Cliff arrived as curate to St Mary’s Church on June 30, 2019, just eight months before the country was put into lockdown. MOVING ON: The Revd Sarah Cliff will hold her final services in Teesdale on March 12 before being licensed and installed as vicar of St John the Divine, at Sandylands, in LancashireĪ POPULAR priest who helped guide Barnard Castle through the coronavirus pandemic will be bidding the town farewell next month.
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