THREE clerics who were ordained together at Newport Cathedral are to serve on the same bench after almost 30 years apart.

Richard Pain will be enthroned as Bishop of Monmouth at Newport Cathedral today, where he will be joined by his former colleagues, who have also become bishops in the Church in Wales.

John Davies, Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph and Bishop Richard were ordained together at Newport Cathedral on September 29, 1984, to serve in the Diocese of Monmouth.

Bishop Richard, 57, who was consecrated as a bishop in September, said: “I was proud and relieved to be ordained a deacon – that was enough to be getting on with. I had no more thought for the future than serving God as best I could in His strength. Quite frankly that feeling hasn’t changed.”

The three clerics trained for ministry together at St Michael’s College, Llandaff, Cardiff, and were ordained by Derrick Childs, the then Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Monmouth, at Newport Cathedral.

Bishop John, 60, who was consecrated as a bishop in 2008, said: “I remember vividly both Richard and Gregory at college.

“I particularly remember that Richard and I used to be the last ones into chapel in the morning.”

Bishop John served in a variety of parishes in the Diocese of Monmouth before being appointed Dean of Brecon for eight years.

Bishop Gregory, 54, served in the Parish of St Paul, Newport, and was appointed as chaplain in 2000 to then Archbishop of Wales Rowan Williams.

He was consecrated as Bishop of St Asaph in 2009.

He said: “I don’t think we thought of each other as bishops in the making, and I certainly didn’t know where I would end up, so it’s a big surprise that in the fullness of time I joined John on the Bench of Bishops in Wales, and Richard joined us.”

Bishop Richard’s election in July followed the retirement of Dominic Walker, who served as Bishop of Monmouth for ten years until he retired at the end of June.

He is married to Julie, and the couple have two sons.