At Mass this weekend I announced that I would step down from being your parish priest in the autumn of 2018.
My last weekend as your Parish Priest will be 15/16 September. Your new parish priest will be Father Peter Wade. He was in this Deanery a few years ago as Parish Priest of Sacred Heart, Loughborough, and is at present Parish Priest of Skegness and Spilsby. He will be informing his parishioners of his move this weekend. He tells me that he will be on the Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage next month, so some of you will have the chance to meet him then.
Being your parish priest for more than 4½ years has been a very special time for me. I have loved celebrating Mass and the other Sacraments, sharing insights with you, and being privileged to share in the significant life events, joyful and sorrowful, of many families.
After a short break, I shall be available to help out in parishes and schools in the Deanery and beyond.
The level of support here from so many people has been a very special part of my time with you. I am deeply grateful for this and have already told Fr Wade that this is a great strength of our parishes.
Let us pray for each other and for Fr Wade as he prepares to say goodbye to his parishioners in Skegness and Spilsby and to move to Ashby and Measham.