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Home News and Blogs New Team for Church in Wales Panel as it Widens Access to Ministry

New Team for Church in Wales Panel as it Widens Access to Ministry

News Posted: 5 October 2023

A senior journalist and Lay Canon is the new chair of the panel which selects people for ordained ministry.

Caroline Woollard, a Canon of Newport Cathedral and a warden in Abergavenny Ministry Area, has been appointed as chair of the Church in Wales’ Provincial Discernment Panel as it seeks to widen access to ministry. She takes over the role from the Dean of Brecon, Paul Shackerley, who chaired the panel for five years.

Caroline, who has served as a member of the panel since 2021, is joined by three vice-chairs: the Revd Tracy Jones and the Revd Naomi Starkey, both from Bangor Diocese, and the Revd Rhys Jenkins, a GP in the Diocese of Llandaff.

The Provincial Discernment Panel (PDP) selects candidates for ordained ministry. After exploring their call over a number of months, or even years, candidates attend a residential panel in North Wales, where discerners have in-depth conversations with them and observe them undertaking different activities. Those selected will mostly go on to train for ministry at St Padarn's Institute, the Church in Wales theological college.

A former chief sub-editor with the South Wales Argus, Caroline now heads a department enabling the editorial production of Newsquest’s daily and weekly regional papers and is training her successor to take over when she retires in January. She is also a member of the Church’s Governing Body and Electoral College.

The Bishop of Monmouth, Cherry Vann, who is the bishop holding the ministry portfolio, says,

“This is an exciting time in the life of the Church in Wales as we reshape the Provincial Discernment Panel. The new team will join the Director of Ministry Development, Revd Canon Dr Trystan Owain Hughes, in helping to widen access to ordained ministry and ensure that we have a range of clergy who are properly equipped for ministry in our changing Church and society. Our aim is to increase the number of vocations and for new priests to reflect the wonderful diversity of our communities and congregations.

“We are deeply grateful to all those who devote their time and gifts to the PDP and thank, in particular, Dean Paul Shackerley for all the foundational work he has done.”

The Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, added, “Caroline is an experienced and gifted Christian whose wisdom will be appreciated very much in the discerning of ministry for the Church. I am so grateful to her for accepting this role and, with others appointed to work alongside her, know we will be well served.”