Liverpool: 24 priests celebrate jubilees

This year, 24 priests from the Archdiocese of Liverpool will mark the jubilee of their ordination and will give thanks for a total of 1,125 years of service. There are three priests celebrating their silver jubilee (25 years); six celebrating their ruby jubilee (40 years); nine celebrating their golden jubilee (50 years); and six celebrating their diamond jubilee (60 years). Many of them will join with Archbishop Patrick Kelly this Friday for a Celebration of Evening Prayer at 6pm at the Archdiocesan Centre for Evangelisation on Croxteth Drive, Sefton Park. Bishop Vincent Malone, Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool, celebrates his Golden Jubilee on 18 September; of the other Jubilarians eight are now retired, fourteen of them work as parish priests in the Archdiocese of Liverpool or are in active parish ministry, and one is in Chaplaincy work. Friends and family will join many of them for the service on Friday evening and individual celebrations will be held throughout the rest of the year. The jubilarians are: Diamond Jubilee of Priesthood (1945-2005) Fr J Kevin Ashton (Retired) 26 May Fr Thomas Butler (Retired) 26 May Canon Peter Cronin (Retired)10 June Fr Richard Firth (Retired) 26 May Canon J Brian Mullan (Retired) 26 May Canon John Pennington (Parish Ministry) 26 May Golden Jubilee of Priesthood (1955-2005) Bishop Vincent Malone (Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool) 18 September Fr Vincent Cunningham (Retired) 9 April Canon Joseph D'Arcy (St Teresa, Upholland) 4 June Fr John Gough (Retired) 4 June Fr Gerald Hurst (St Mary, Castletown, Isle of Man) 4 June Monsignor Jack Kennedy (Holy Family, Southport) 25 November Fr Charles Lynch (St Pius X, Widnes) 17 July Fr G Leo Lynch (St Joseph, Blundellsands) 17 July Fr A Kevin Snape (Retired) 4 June Ruby Jubilee of Priesthood (1965-2005) Fr James Clarkson (St Mary, Little Crosby) 3 April Fr Michael de Felice (St Joan of Arc, Bootle) 3 March Fr Austin Griffin (St Teresa, Penwortham) 12 June Fr Bernard Jackson (St Mary, Birchley) 12 June Fr Sean O'Connor (St Benet, Netherton) 20 June Fr Anthony Reynolds (Our Lady Immaculate, Bryn) 12 June Silver Jubilee of Priesthood (1980-2005) Fr Stephen Cooper (St Richard, Atherton) 6 September Fr Anthony Eagleton (Our Lady of Walsingham, Netherton) 5 July Fr Brian Murphy (Chaplaincy) 28 March Source: Archdiocese of Liverpool