The Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Rev Tom Butler installed the Rev Stephen Roberts on Sunday 30 January as Senior Director of Ordinands for Southwark Diocese and Canon Treasurer at Southwark Cathedral. He replaces Canon David Painter, who was recently appointed Archdeacon of Oakham in Peterborough Diocese.

In the same service, the Rev Dr Jane Steen, Chaplain to the Bishop of Southwark, and the Rev Helge Pettersson, of St Olav's Norwegian Church and Seamen's Mission, Rotherhithe, were licensed as Honorary Priest Vicars of the Cathedral.

The Bishop said of Stephen Roberts, "He has a care for building the future of the Church, and has a special interest in inner-city ministry, which is important in a diocese which is trying to foster interest in vocations from the inner-city." Stephen Roberts has been involved in training three curates in Camberwell, and selection and training for ordination has long been an area of interest for him.

Canon Roberts, who is 40, was Vicar of St George's, Camberwell from 1989 until 9 January this year. He was Rural Dean of Camberwell from 1997 and before that was the Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands for the Woolwich Episcopal Area. He trained at Westcott House, Cambridge and was ordained deacon in 1983 and priested in 1984. He served curacies at St Mary's, Riverhead with Dunton Green, Sevenoaks, in the Rochester Diocese and at St Martin in the Fields in the London Diocese before coming to Southwark. He is currently finishing a MTh in Pastoral Theology.

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