I grew up in the Church of England and after feeling a call to priesthood from the age of about 15 I was eventually ordained as an Anglican Priest. I was non-stipendiary and had a full time job as a Personnel (HR) Manager with BT. I have worked as a telephone engineer – ending up looking after 2 transatlantic phone cable systems and a microwave radio system. I then moved to Bristol as Personnel Manager for about 20 years. Firstly, as a Welfare Officer then as an Equal Opportunities Specialist then working in Employee Relations. I previously worked as a residential Housemaster for 2 years in a special school for boys aged between 11 and 18 who had a range of problems and had been in trouble. I worked full time for the police for 3 years and served as a Special Constable for 14 years. I was received into the Roman Catholic Church a little under 3 years after my Anglican ordination as I did not feel my beliefs fitted in where I was. For me it felt like coming home. I will be celebrating 25 years as a Catholic Priest in April 2023. After running 2 parishes in Bristol and Gloucester I retired to Italy where I lived for almost 12 years helping daily in a local parish. When I returned to England in 2019 I wanted to move to wigan as my family were here. Archbishop Malcolm kindly appointed me as Assistant Priest in this parish on a half time basis. On the retirement of Fr Aidan Kelly the Parish Priest the archbishop appointed me as Parish Priest and I moved to Sacred Heart Presbytery where my mother lives with me. I am very much enjoying being the Parish Priest of such a busy parish and am very grateful for all of the support and collaboration of our deacons and lay people.
I was ordained in 2019 as a Deacon by Archbishop Malcolm and assigned to the Parish of St Edward the Confessor. I was born and brought up in India and came to the UK in 2002 with a Degree in Computer Science. Upon arrival in the UK, I also studied Animation at Bournemouth University. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, as well as reading books.
Reverend Deacon Michael Moffatt In 1972 I left St Patricks Primary School here in Wigan and decided to spend the next five years discerning a vocation to the priesthood in the junior seminaries of St Michaels College, Underley Hall, (in Kirkby Lonsdale); and at St Josephs College, Upholland. These informative years of learning in such hallowed surroundings and living with so many like-minded young people, helped to shape and form my current faith beliefs and practices. My early career was in retail management, (it was whilst working in retail that I met my wife of 40 years Janet), I then moved across into the field of education and training with work at Wigan College of Technology and then from 1991 teaching RE at St John Fisher Catholic High School. I have had the distinct pleasure of working with some of the greatest teaching minds in the three Catholic schools that I have been fortunate enough to work in, and that the young people who attended those schools have contributed to some of the happiest years of my teaching career. It was whilst working in education that I was able to extend my role of service in becoming trained as a Childrens Counsellor, in Bereavement Counselling and as a Community Liaison Worker (this was particularly interesting as it opened my experiences of working alongside many people of different faiths and cultures). Janet and I were married at St Mary’s Church on Standishgate on 4th September 1982, we have been blessed with three children and are now the very proud grandparents to three grandsons and two granddaughters. Being a married father and grandfather has enabled me to draw on the many experiences that have presented themselves over the last forty years (good, bad and somewhat indifferent experiences at times), all of which helped me to discern the role that I should take of serving my community. My family and I moved into the Parish of Sacred Heart way back in 1984, we lived in Bluebell Avenue in Beech Hill and we remained there until 1995, when we then moved to our current home here in Norfolk Street, Springfield. Our children attended Sacred Heart Primary going on then to study at St John Fisher and now it’s the turn of our grandchildren to experience these wonderful institutions for themselves. I feel that I know this parish and its people well and I feel that the people of the parish know me well also. Initially it was a chance remark made by Fr Aiden when he asked - ‘Have you ever thought of becoming a Deacon?’ Well, the initial response was yes – several years before Cannon Commins had asked me the question, but at the time we had so much going on in the family home that I felt that I could not give the discernment the time and commitment that it required. However, at just under the upper age limit of enquiry I felt that crucially, with my wife’s backing and support, now would be a more fruitful time to discern this vocation. Therefore after four years of studying various aspects of theology, cannon law, homiletics and the history of the role of the deacon, on Sunday 7th July 2019, I was ordained Deacon of the Catholic Church in The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ The King Liverpool. Your support that day for me was overwhelming so now I would like to give myself in service to you all, in being as good and true a servant to your faith needs for as long as I am able to serve you. God Bless - Rev Deacon Mick Moffatt.
