Answering God’s call…

The Bishop of Fulham supports vocations to Christian life and ministry, and sponsors candidates for ordination.

For ordained vocations to the priesthood, the process in every case differs depending on the potential candidate’s needs but a general overview looks like this:

  • the fostering of a vocation to ordained ministry begins in the parish setting and in discussion with the parish priest
  • in due time the parish priest puts the potential candidate in contact the Bishop’s Chaplain who assigns the person to one of the Bishop’s Vocations Officers
  • the potential candidate completes registration paperwork and meets with the Vocations Officer for a period of discernment which may involve assignments or other tasks to foster the vocation
  • all the above being satisfactory, the Vocations Officer recommends the potential candidate to the relevant Area Director of Ordinands [ADO] who then helps the potential candidate prepare for the National Discernment Process – Stage 1: Carousel Conversations panel
  • following the report from this panel, the potential candidate may be prepared to attend Panel 2 and is sponsored for this by the Bishop of Fulham
  • if the Panel 2 recommends the candidate for training, then conversations ensue about the best training pathway/institution for the candidate
  • after the satisfactory completion of training and formation for ordination, the candidate is ordained by the Bishop of Fulham depending on available posts.
  • More detailed information is available here 


The process above describes the procedure for candidates from the Diocese of London. In the Diocese of Southwark, potential candidates follow the diocesan pattern, but early contact should be made with Bishop of Fulham’s office so that candidates can be invited to attend the Vocations Group and other events.

The Fulham Vocations Group meets several times a year for worship, fellowship and discussion, and includes those at all stages of the process above for mutual learning and encouragement, as well as building good relationships with the Bishop and others in the process.

Of course, there are many more vocations in the Christian life than the priesthood. Those who feel called to the Religious Life, to ministry as Lay Readers, or to the permanent diaconate, or to other vocations within the life of the Church, should also begin their discernment in discussion with their parish priest. The Bishop’s Vocations Officer will be happy to meet with such persons in due course to help foster and support their vocational development.