On Thursday evening we had a Mass of thanksgiving for the time we have shared with Fr Andrew Allman, our Parish Priest since January 2017.
A full congregation took part in the celebration, giving thanks to God for all His blessings to us these last five and a half years. A lot has happened! Early on the new narthex was built; in 2019 we had a variety of events to celebrate 40 years of our church, and then the pandemic struck, bringing with it new challenges and a move online for a time. It has been wonderful to see the parish awake from its long sleep in the last year or so, with parish life returning to a pre-pandemic feel in almost every way.
Before the Mass Fr Andrew spoke a bit about the new work he is going to undertake as Vice Rector of St Mary's Seminary, Oscott. Please pray for him as he moves on to this new role, that he may be a positive influence and wise guide to those discerning their vocation and a good example to our future priests.
Then it was off to the parish hall for a fabulous Jacob's Join and some social time together. Rosa Malloy presented Fr Andrew with a card from the parish, containing a spiritual bouquet - many promises of prayer from the parishioners - and a very generous collection. As Fr Andrew moves on to the next step on his journey and our parish begins a new chapter, we pray for God's blessing on us all.
