The Diocese of Bristol is pleased to share that Revd Esther Rose has been licensed as Chaplain with the Deaf Community in the Diocese of Bristol.
Revd Esther was licensed by The Rt Revd Neil Warwick, Acting Bishop of Bristol and Bishop of Swindon, at Christ the Servant King, Bradley Stoke on Sunday 29th March.
Esther grew up in Australia, with her Deaf family who communicated with Australian Sign Language (Auslan). About 25 years ago, she moved to England, where she works as a BSL interpreter. In that time, she has interpreted various events, such as the Kings Coronation and on BBC News. Esther was ordained at Rochester Cathedral, and is moving to Bristol, to work as the Chaplain with the Deaf Community. She is pulling together her love for Jesus and the Deaf Community in one role.
Speaking about her new role, Esther said:
“I love meeting people and learning from their experiences. We never stop learning, and that gives me joy! Jesus is loving, forgiving, kind, generous, and beautiful, and I want to be more and more like that. I believe that everyone has been lovingly created by God, and each person is unique. I believe that God made Deaf people to add life and richness to all of humanity, and the Church. Please do pray for me in this part-time post and pray that others will join me in serving our community”.
Bishop Neil said:
“Esther knows, loves and has been part of the Deaf Community for a long time and she brings that wealth of knowledge and experience to our diocese. I am delighted that she is here. We want to have church in every community, that people can belong to, and Esther will help make this a reality.”