Bishop's Message: Season for the Care of Creation

My dear people,

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May the peace of Christ be with you all.

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As we move from the long, dry summer into autumn the Church marks the Season for the Care of Creation, beginning on 1^st September and concluding on 4^th October. The 4^th October holds a double significance for us; it is the anniversary of Lancaster Cathedral’s Dedication, and it also marks the Feast Day for Saint Francis of Assisi, this year being the 800th anniversary of his death.

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I commend to you the Pastoral Message issued by our Holy Father, Pope Leo XlV, specifically for this Season of Grace. I commend it to your attention for this short period of time, inviting you to take particular note of Pope Leo’s invitation for each of us to pray for a renewal of the heart. Without such renewal we are inclined to take for granted the Lord’s self-Revelation in His work of creation. His gift of nature will be belittled or misused or misunderstood. We will blame others for the state of the world, whilst awarding ourselves license to do nothing. Without such renewal we are inclined to lose sight of His gift of re-Creation through the saving Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord, and then lose our belief in our eternal destiny.

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Pope Leo has, with a true shepherd’s heart shown us a way of conversion and growth which is open to each of us. He emphasizes the need for our action now. With humility may your each be moved to respond in a spirit of grateful hope. This first September weekend I shall be travelling to London to take part in the March For Life, an event I have attended often since I became your Bishop. This annual event highlights how great the threat to creation is, especially given the stark evidence showing how our secular culture seems committed to self-destruction. I ask your perseverance in prayer in defence of God’s gift of creation, and particularly in defence of the gift we each carry, made as we are, in His own image and likeness. Let us remember those most at risk.

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With every blessing,

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✠ Rt Rev Paul Swarbrick
Bishop of Lancaster

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https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/creation/documents/20260815-messaggio-giornata-curacreato.html

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Bishop's Message: Welcome to our Three New Permanent Deacons!

On Saturday 4 July 2026, it was my great joy to ordain Rev. Paul Briers, Rev. John Bennett and Rev. Christopher Houghton to the Permanent Diaconate for our Diocese at St Peter's Cathedral, Lancaster.

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Following their ordination, Rev. Paul will begin his ministry at The Good Shepherd, Workington, Rev. John at Holy Cross, Kirkham, and Rev. Christopher at Our Lady of the Lakes and St Charles, Keswick, serving alongside their parish priests and the people of those parish communities.

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The ordination of permanent deacons is always a cause of great thanksgiving. We give thanks to Almighty God for the generous response these men have made to His call and for the many people who have accompanied them on their journey to ordained ministry.

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The permanent diaconate is a ministry of service, rooted in the Gospel and expressed through service of the Word, the altar and those in need. In our parishes, deacons proclaim and preach the Gospel, assist at the celebration of the Mass, baptise, witness marriages, lead funeral services, bring Holy Communion to the sick and housebound, and supportthe pastoral life of the parish. Through their ministry they remind us of Christ, who came not to be served but to serve.

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I offer my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to the Ordination Mass and helped to make it such a joyful and prayerful celebration. My gratitude extends to the clergy, altar servers, musicians, choir, readers and the many volunteers whose generosity made the day so memorable.

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I also wish to thank everyone who has supported these men throughout their years of formation. I am especially grateful to Rev .Dr Bernard Farrell-Roberts, Director of Formation for the Permanent Diaconate, for his dedicated leadership, guidance and encouragement. My thanks also go to the formation team, spiritual directors, the priests who have accompanied them, and to their wives, families and friends for their constant love and support. 

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I am equally grateful to the parish communities that have welcomed and encouraged them during their formation, especially The Good Shepherd, Workington, Holy Cross, Kirkham, and Our Lady of the Lakes and St Charles, Keswick. Your friendship, encouragement and faithful prayers have played an important part in preparing them for this day and are a wonderful expression of the shared life of our diocesan family.

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As they begin their ordained ministry, I ask you to continue to remember them, together with their wives and families, in your prayers. 

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May the Holy Spirit strengthen them with wisdom, compassion and joy as they serve Christ and His people. In the spirit of my episcopal motto, Holiness before Peace, may they always seek holiness first, trusting that through faithful service they will become instruments of Christ's peace in the communities they are called to serve.

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This happy occasion is also a reminder to continue praying for vocations to the priesthood, the permanent diaconate and the consecrated life. May the Lord continue to call men and women to serve His Church, and may our parishes always be places where those vocations are recognised, encouraged and nurtured.

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Please join me in giving thanks to Almighty God for the gift of these new deacons. May the Lord bless Rev. Paul, Rev. John and Rev. Christopher abundantly as they begin their ministry in our Diocese.

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With every blessing,

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✠ Rt Rev Paul Swarbrick
Bishop of Lancaster

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Welcome to our newly ordained Priest - Fr Stephen Bamber

On Saturday 27th June 2026, it was my great privilege and joy to ordain Fr Stephen Bamber to the Sacred Priesthood for the Diocese of Lancaster at St Peter’s Cathedral.

The ordination of a priest is always a moment of profound thanksgiving for our diocesan family. We give thanks to Almighty God for the gift of Fr Stephen’s vocation and for his generous response to the Lord’s call to serve His Church.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to this joyful celebration, especially the clergy, altar servers, musicians, choir, readers, volunteers and all who worked so hard behind the scenes to make the Ordination Mass such a prayerful and memorable occasion.

I also wish to thank all those who have accompanied Fr Stephen throughout his journey to the priesthood. We are grateful to the staff and community of the Venerable English College in Rome, to the priests who have guided and supported him, and to his family and friends whose encouragement has sustained him over many years.

I am particularly grateful to the parish communities where Fr Stephen has served during his formation. Your welcome, encouragement and prayers have played an important part in preparing him for priestly ministry. Thank you also to every parish across our Diocese that has remembered him in prayer. Your prayers have been a source of strength and a powerful reminder that every vocation is nurtured by the faith of the whole Church.

As Fr Stephen begins his priestly ministry, I ask you to continue to keep him in your prayers. Pray that the Lord will grant him wisdom, humility and joy as he proclaims the Gospel, celebrates the Sacraments and serves God’s people with generosity and compassion.

This happy occasion is also an invitation to pray for new vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate and the consecrated life. May the Lord continue to call men and women to serve Him, and may our parishes be places where those vocations are recognised, encouraged and nurtured.

Please join me in giving thanks to God for the gift of Fr Stephen’s priesthood, and may the Lord bless him abundantly throughout his ministry.

✠ Rt Rev Paul Swarbrick
Bishop of Lancaster

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