Bishop thanks three retiring East Anglia parish priests

Bishop Peter Collins has expressed his most heartfelt appreciation for three long-standing diocesan clergy who are set to retire this autumn.

He writes: “Canon John Barnes, now 79 years of age, was received into full communion with the Catholic Church in 1994, having ministered for 30 years in the Church of England. He was ordained on October 7, 1995, and has served the faithful of East Anglia as Parish Priest of Bury St Edmunds, Dereham, and Felixstowe. He has also given great service as a dean, a member of both the Historic Churches Committee and the Liturgy Commission. He was appointed an Honorary Canon of the Cathedral Chapter in 2022.

“Fr Andrew Neate, now 82 years of age, offered long service in the Diocese as a permanent deacon, being ordained on June 29, 1996, serving in Huntington, OLEM, and Cromer. Following the passing of his dear wife Margaret, Fr Andrew was ordained to the priesthood on September 19, 2020, and has since been serving the parish in Fakenham.

“Fr Peter Brett, who has just celebrated his 83rd birthday, was ordained on January 9, 1966, for the Redemptorists. Initial ministry in London and Liverpool was followed by a time in South Africa. We were grateful to receive Fr Peter into East Anglia in 2000, and he was incardinated as a priest of the Diocese a year later. Fr Peter oversaw the merger of the parishes of Sacred Heart and St Oswald’s in Peterborough before being appointed to Sudbury with Hadleigh in 2008.

“They have each served the Church with great fidelity and generosity in a multiplicity of scenarios. We offer them the assurance of our prayers and wish them a long and happy retirement.”

Pictured above is Fr Andrew Neate who is set to retire in September.

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