A Romanian man who grew up in the early years after the collapse of Communism in the country is to be ordained in the Diocese of Durham.
Petrică Bistran, 31, studied for ordination at Cranmer Hall, Durham, and becomes a deacon at Silksworth, St Matthew.
He said: “I was quite confused growing up in an early ex‐Communist environment. I became a Christian when I was about 15 and that was a very good thing for me but it also complicated life a bit. I wanted to become an artist so I went to an Art College, but art became a consuming little strange god, and I wasn’t quite satisfied with its importance.
“Adding to this the fact that God was, and still is, the most important person in the world for me resulted in my decision to do a degree in theology and become a pastor.
“I started preaching and leading services from when I was 17. I did my first degree in theology and, alongside it, trained to become a pastor, but then I took a sudden, and rather long, break while deciding whether I should work for the church or not; any church at that point.
“Moving to England and joining the local Anglican church in Nottingham where we were at the time turned out to be my long and sure path back to ministry.
“Having to work in my second language has been one of the biggest challenges for me beside all the drawbacks that come with being a foreigner. The advantage of this challenge, I guess, is the opportunity of being able to always learn something new.”
Petrica will be ordained Deacon by the Bishop of Durham, The Right Reverend Paul Butler in Durham Cathedral at 10.00am on Sunday 3rd July 2016.