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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Bishops invite all people to work for peace and justice and ask Catholics to join them in 'redoubling' prayers

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The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales met at the English College's Convento Palazzola just outside Rome from 18-23 April for a one-day plenary assembly and week-long ongoing formation as Pope Leo XIV followed his Apostolic Journey through Africa to its conclusion.

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They issued this statement as a sign of solidarity with the Holy Father, asking for Catholics to pray with them for an enduring peace with justice in the world's conflict zones:

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“We stand in solidarity with the Holy Father in his sustained witness and unshakeable commitment to the Gospel of Peace.

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“We embrace our responsibility to act as bridge-builders and peacemakers and call upon the faithful, whom we serve in the dioceses of England and Wales, to join us in redoubling our prayers and advocacy for peace and justice.

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“We pray that the leaders of all peoples at war open their minds and hearts to the dialogue and encounter necessary to attain a peace which disarms and endures.

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“Hope is central to our Christian faith. In Eastertide, we are reminded that we are called to build a future sustained by the Risen Christ. As Pope Leo said in Equatorial Guinea: ‘There is hunger for a future imbued with hope that is capable of engendering a new sense of justice and producing fruits of peace and fraternity. This is not an unknown future that we must passively await, but rather one that we ourselves are called to build with God’s grace’." i

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Prayer for Peace of Pope Saint John XXIII

Lord Jesus Christ,

who are called the Prince of Peace,

who are yourself our peace and reconciliation,

who so often said,

"Peace to you,"

grant us peace.

Make all men and women witnesses of truth,

justice, and brotherly love.

Banish from their hearts whatever might endanger peace.

Enlighten our rulers that they may guarantee

and defend the great gift of peace.

May all peoples of the earth become as brothers and sisters.

May longed-for peace blossom forth

and reign always over us all.

Amen

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i Homily of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Mongomo), Wednesday, 22 April 2026.

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APPOINTED TO BE READ AT ALLPUBLIC MASSES IN ALL CHURCHES AND CHAPELS IN THE DIOCESE OF LANCASTER ON THE WEEKEND OF  25th/26th APRIL 2026

Pastoral Letter Good Shepherd Sunday 2026

My dear people,

World Day of Prayer for Vocations

It is worthy of note that for us in this country Good Shepherd Sunday falls with good timing, right in the middle of the lambing season. This is a time when not only do we see lambs and sheep appearing in our fields, but we are also treated to an array of TV programmes on farming, veterinary practices and shepherding in particular. All this gives a good insight into the care that shepherds lavish upon their flocks. They are not just supervising the births, but they go on to make sure there is food and water; also protections from disease, the weather and even predators.

We know that Jesus was not a sheep farmer, though sheep, lambs and shepherds do appear from time to time in his teaching. What we heard in the Gospel was not about animal husbandry, but rather Jesus describing himself with the qualities of a Good Shepherd: one who provides care, nourishment, protection. And in using the image of a shepherd, our Lord is borrowing from the Old Testament, which is peppered with that image, especially applied to prophets and kings – and one king in particular, David. It was he who united the north and south into one kingdom and brought stability and peace. He was the recipient of God’s promise that one of his line would prove to be the long-awaited Messiah. We understand that is Jesus. So, to those nurturing qualities of the shepherd: care, nourishment and protection, we can add leadership, even authority.

Our Gospel ended with what some have called Jesus’ strapline: ‘I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ All this talk about being a Good Shepherd is about life, abundant life, life to the full. Everything that Jesus said and did was life-giving. Even when he was chastising the Scribes and Pharisees and others, it was so that they might change and truly live. That aspect of Jesus ministry of Good Shepherd, lives on in those he has called, and is calling to be priests, to be shepherds of the Lord’s flock. So it is not coincidental that today is designated as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, it springs right out of the Gospel.

I would like now to address these words to those single men present among us:

St John Henry Newman affirms eloquently for all Christians that God has a plan for us: “God has created me to do him some definite service. He has committed some work to me, which he hasn’t committed to another. I have my mission.” Ask yourself: what is my ‘definite service’? What is my ‘mission’, committed to me by God?

Is God calling you to be a priest? Amid the noise of life, the designs and opportunities open to you, be courageous and reflect: What does God want from me? When the Apostles first encountered Jesus, He did not explain why he had chosen them, or what he had instore for them. He simply said, “Follow me!” and they did.

Perhaps, as you hear this, you are already thinking “No, this couldn’t possibly be for me”. As your Bishop, I can tell you: we all feel unworthy in our call from God. This is especially the case when we reflect that the Good Shepherd Himself may be asking us to share in his work as shepherds of His flock. Put yourself in God’s hands and let him lead you. Allow the question of becoming a priest be asked of you; meditate on it, give that process of discernment an opportunity to grow. When you come to the moment of receiving Holy Communion at Mass today – and every time you go to Mass – ask the Lord Jesus: what do you want from me?

If any of these words strike you, I invite you to join me at Lancaster Cathedral, along with others from across our diocese, at the next ‘Day for Discerning Vocation to the Priesthood’: Saturday 30 May beginning with Mass at 12.15pm. I look forward to joining you for lunch and the opportunity to talk and reflect together.

To all of you present I ask you: pray for vocations to the priesthood! And pray for your priests! This is so important. Also important is to promote a culture of vocations. We do this by talking positively about the priestly vocation, even suggesting it to someone whom God has placed in your path. We can be people who are full of encouragement. This year, please God, we shall have one ordination to the priesthood which will leave us with one student to complete his training. Some good news is that in September we shall have five men embarking on their journey of discernment, mostly at the English College in Spain. This news encourages us and prompts us to prayer.

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, it would not go amiss to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for those priests that God has sent your way both now and in the past.

With my blessing,

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Rt Rev Paul Swarbrick

Bishop of Lancaster