The Bishops of Shrewsbury, Stafford and Wolverhampton have ordained 16 new priests this weekend.

The four services included the first ordinations conducted by the Rt Rev Clive Gregory since he was consecrated as Bishop earlier this year.

The 16 new priests were already serving as clergy and continue in their present roles, having been ordained deacons by the Bishop of Lichfield in Lichfield Cathedral last year.

The priesthood is the second of three tiers of ordained ministry in the Church of England, which also includes deacons and bishops.

Priests lead worship and preach the gospel, preside at the Holy Communion, baptise, absolve and declare the forgiveness of sins, bless the people, conduct marriages, take funerals and teach and care for the people committed to their charge.

The word 'priest' is related to the old English 'prester', which comes from 'presbyter', a derivation of the Greek word from the New Testament 'presbuteros', which means 'elder'. The word 'presbyter' is sometimes used instead of 'priest'.

Deacons act as assistants to the priests in whose parish they work. They lead worship, preach and teach. They may baptise, take funerals and conduct marriages. They assist in administering (but not leading) the Holy Communion in church and in house communions.

Many deacons are trainee priests, and are deacons for a year, before becoming priests. The word 'deacon' comes from the Greek word in the New Testament 'diaconos' which means 'servant'.

In the Diocese of Lichfield, clergy are normally ordained deacons in the cathedral by the diocesan bishop assisted by the three area bishops. In recent years two services have been required to fit everybody into the cathedral.

A year later the deacons are ordained to the priesthood by the area bishops in services held in local churches. Last week, the Bishop of Lichfield ordained 19 new deacons. These are expected to be ordained to the priesthood next year.