WORCESTER diocese has a record 19 candidates for ordination this year with ten new priests and nine new deacons and of these three will serve in Bromsgrove.

The service will take place at Worcester Cathedral on July 2.

The Rev Theresa Jones, who was born in Newry, Co Down, is serving as a non-stipendiary curate at St John's Parish Church.

She is married and has two sons. Theresa trained as a teacher at Westhill College, Birmingham, and studied theology at Birmingham University.

She taught religious studies and English in secondary schools in the Midlands for 24 years before training for the ordained ministry at Queen's College, Birmingham.

Her interests include art, literature and poetry writing. During the Holy Year, 2004, she and her husband David completed a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

The Rev Frances Mant is serving her curacy at All Saints', Bromsgrove.

Frances was brought up in the Midlands and has returned after education and work experience in Cambridge, London, Exeter and Oxford.

Her specialist subjects are medicine, social work and motherhood.

She is married to Jonathan and they have a son and a daughter. Frances trained for the non-stipendiary ministry at Queen's College, Birmingham.

Andrew Stand is moving to the Worcester diocese from Birmingham, where he was born and where he has lived for much of his life.

He was educated at King Edward's school, Birmingham, and studied to become a software engineer at East Warwickshire College. As well as his ordination, he is looking forward to getting married to Christine, whom he met while they were both at Cranmer Hall in Durham. Andrew will become a curate at St John's.

Droitwich Spa-born Linda Bedford is to be ordained as a deacon and will serve as a non-stipendiary curate in the parish of Hanley Castle, Hanley Swan and Welland.

She lives in Hanley Swan with Tony, her husband of 41 years. They have one son, John who is 37.

Linda qualified as a nurse in 1965 and for the next 26 years followed that career before gaining a BA degree and becoming a teacher.

Shortly after moving to Hanley Swan in 1996 she began reader training. This was followed by a call to ordination and following selection for ministry training.