SIX new clergy have joined churches in the Willesden area of Brent, Harrow, Ealing and Hillingdon after being ordained as deacons. 

They include Urmila Kurkalang at St Matthew’s Church, Yiewsley. She said: “My family and I joined the church when I started training for ordination in 2018. It is a diverse community I have grown to love .  

“We have lived in the parish since 2014 and it is a joy to be able to give something back to the area that we call home.” 

The Bishop of Willesden, The Rt Rev Pete Broadbent, said: “Our churches are playing an important role supporting their communities through the pandemic, and these new Deacons will make an invaluable contribution to those efforts.”

The office of deacon is often a step on the path towards priesthood and follows two to three years of training.