Past Parish Priests

Father Bart Walsh

Father Bart on Pilgrimage with Parishioners – 2011

Fr’s Hickley, Conlisk, Walsh and Pieczuro

Father Barry Matthews

Father Barry Matthews with Confirmation candidates

Getting to know the different sides to Father Barry
We have at long last got some background info on Fr Barry and also some insights in to what makes this unique character the person that he is. We asked him a number of questions and the questions along with Fr Barry’s responses are below:

1) Type of family growing up:
“I had a very nice family growing up” – Fr Barry is a very private person and does not give up info all that easily.

2) How big is your family?
Fairly normal sized: Fr Barry is the youngest of three. He has an older brother and sister.
Mother and father are deceased.

3) How long have you been a Priest?
We managed to find out that Father Barry has been a Priest since the 1970s, having started out in the Anglican Church.
Having been brought up in Liverpool, and at the age of 19 started his studies at Kings College London for the priesthood he finished training at age 23. In 2000 he became a Catholic laymen and was ordained in 2002 for the third time

Fr Barry in thought with regards his answer

4) Most Interesting place you’ve visited?
A Monastery in the desert outside Cairo in Egypt founded in the 5th or 6th century. (Can’t remember the name)

5) Which Pope made the greatest impact on you?
John the 23rd, Good Pope John

6) How are you enjoying working in this parish?
It is a great challenge on many levels, not least tiring.

I find the greatest challenge trying to be loyal to the Holy Father’s constant and necessary challenge to the church to be especially concerned with the poor, alienated, rejected, and unheard members of our society while at the same time desiring unity and concord within the churches congregations. Which often have different and sometimes not conducive understandings of God’s will for both church and society

7) If you could change one thing in our parish what would it be?
For every member of the parish to be enabled to see that God has gifted, blessed and enabled each and every one of us with at least one particular gift, ability, desire; which could be used to further His loving mercy in particular ways in this world: Could you imagine what it would be like if everyone of us loved God and each other and this planet in the ways that only we, as individuals can. (And how about a little more Fun??)