Two curates from Kenilworth will be be ordained in Leamington this weekend, as nine new priests will be made across the Coventry Diocese.

Alison Baxter and Richard Moore of St Nicholas Church will be ordained in Leamington this Sunday at St Marks Church.

The service, which is due to start at 10.30am, is by invite only due to current guidelines.

However, congregation members will be able to watch the service online by following this link.

Having spent a year as curates, the two have been able to lead worship, baptisms, and funerals to this point. After their ordination as priests they will be able to lead weddings, preside at communions, and give blessings.

In preparation for Sunday morning, Alison and Richard have been on a two-day retreat where they have been able to "take time out to be with god, with sessions to help you reflect and get ready for the next step that you will take."

Whilst normally this would be a physical retreat, the nine soon-to-be priests have had to meet virtually for obvious reasons.

Richard, who splits his time as a man of the cloth in the Church, and a man of the cloth in his menswear store in Kenilworth, was in fact christened at St Nicholas', so Sunday's service comes as another big step in his life at the church.

Alison was the Children and Families worker at St Nicholas whilst completing her training, so has been there for three years now. She said of her ordination on Sunday that "it feels that I am finally becoming the person that God wanted me to be.

"When I am conducting services and committing people to God, I know that this feels right."

During the lockdown period, as well as running online services, Richard was able to enjoy even more pastoral care. Ahead of Sunday morning he has said he is "grateful for the love and support of family, colleagues, and the congregation."

Following their ordination as priests, Alison will be celebrating her first communion that evening, at 6.30pm, and Richard at 9.00am on October 4.

Both of these communion services need to be booked in advance, and you can do so on the St Nicholas Website.