14th January 2026

Ordination of three new Lancashire priests takes place this weekend

Three new Priests will soon be serving The Church of England in Lancashire (Blackburn Diocese) following a special service due to take place on Saturday, January 17. 

The three ordinands are Rev Tony Howarth, who will serve in the benefice of Colne; Rev Kaarina Leong who will serve in the parish of Lancaster Christ Church and the Rev Cathy Malins serving in the parish of Lower Darwen St James in plurality with Over Darwen St James. 

For the latest updates you can follow the Diocese on social media @cofelancs and on Facebook (Blackburn Diocese). Use #NewRevs and our social media handles for reposts. The service will be livestreamed on YouTube here.

Rev Cathy Malins is originally from Shropshire. She enjoyed a career in social services supporting adults with learning disabilities and delivering training across the county. She was actively involved in lay ministry at Christ Church, Bayston Hill, where she met and married her husband Matt.  They have two children - Amelia aged 17 and Jacob aged 13.  Cathy later established her own business designing and making fused glass, while maintaining an active lay ministry.

Rev Tony Howarth sensed a calling to ministry in his late teens. He initially studied music but then went on to study Theology at the Assemblies of God Bible College. After seminary training  he accepted a post working with a church in Colne. After 11 years he moved on to work for a charity helping people battling with addiction issues.  Whilst working for the charity he accepted the Pastorate of Pendle Community Church in Barrowford. Both Tony and his church have joined the Anglican church in Colne where he is serving his curacy. He is married to Diane and they have two adult children and a teenager. In his spare time he plays the drums in a band and trains in martial arts. He also loves reading and going to the cinema.

Rev Kaarina Leong is a British-born Finnish-Chinese curate serving at Christ Church, Lancaster. She studied music and English in Lancaster and taught in schools all over the Lancaster, Preston and the Fylde area; working for Lancaster Priory as a church musician before training for ordained ministry at Emmanuel Theological College. Kaarina's theological passions include exploring integrated theological responses to trauma and the pursuit of racial justice and reconciliation. She is a musician, mum to three amazing people and has a love of libraries.

People across the Diocese are encouraged to be praying for Cathy, Tony and Kaarina at this time as they prepare for their ordination to the Priesthood. 

They will be ordained by the Bishop of Lancaster, Rt Rev Dr Jill Duff, in a service taking place at St Bartholomew's in Colne at 11am, this Saturday. The preacher will be Rev Tim Evans, Honorary Priest at Lancaster Priory, who is leading the ordinands' retreat, taking place in the days before the service, at Whalley Abbey which is the Diocesan Centre for Christian Discipleship and Prayer. 

Also attending the ordination service will be the Bishop of Blackburn, Rt Rev Philip North; The Archdeacon of Lancaster, The Venerable David Picken; the Rector of Colne, Rev Alex Oehring; Rev Canon Anne Beverley, Director of Ministry and also training incumbents Rev Carol Backhouse and Rev Rebecca Roberts.

Other visiting clergy include the Rt Rev Leah Vasey-Saunders, Bishop of Doncaster. Until recently, Bishop Leah was Vicar of Lancaster Priory where Kaarina’s vocation was nurtured so she is attending to support, alongside her husband Mark and will lead the intercessions, while Bishop Philip will also lead children’s work on the day as well.

Speaking today, Bishop Jill looked forward to the service at the weekend saying: “Priests carry a wide range of responsibilities in the Church of God as messengers, stewards, teachers of the faith, ministers of the sacraments and shepherds of the flock.

“Most movingly, in the ordination service they are called ‘to search for his children in the wilderness of this world’s temptations and to guide them through its confusions, that they may be saved through Christ for ever’.

“This is a high calling. It has been a delight to follow the journeys of Kaarina, Cathy and Tony as they have prepared for this moment and I am grateful to all those who have supported them on their way including families, friends and their training incumbents Carol, Rebecca and Alex.

“I invite you to join us in praying that they will each know deeply the gift of the Holy Spirit equipping them for this new ministry.”

Captions for the above photos: top to bottom
Pictures taken by Sara Cuff

• Rev Cathy Malins
• Rev Tony Howarth
• Rev Kaarina Long
• Rt Rev Dr Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster