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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