PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS
I was born in Wigan in 1947 and I went to Junior Seminary (Thistleton Lodge & Underley Hall) at the tender age of eleven years old. On finishing my “O” and “A” levels I was sent to Upholland College to study for the priesthood. On the 28th May 1972, I was ordained to the priesthood at St Cuthbert’s, Blackpool by Bishop Foley. My first appointment as curate was St Benedict’s, Mirehouse, Whitehaven and I was there for four years. From there I was moved to St Augustine’s Preston and there I served for two years before I moved to the Forces.
September 1978 I joined the Royal Navy as a chaplain and did my initial two months acclimatisation at the Royal College of Dartmouth. Over the following twelve years, I served the RN and the Royal Marines at sea and at various places such as Portsmouth, Plymouth, Northern Ireland, Hong Kong, Gibraltar, the Arctic, The Far and the Middle East, and Scotland. While I was stationed in HMS Faslane I met up with the Neo-Catechumenate in Glasgow and this “Way of Conversion” has slowly transformed me and saved my priesthood. In September 1990 I was released from the Forces early so that I could go as an itinerant priest to serve with the Neo-Catechumenate in the USA; and over that year I worked with a couple, and their family, in New Orleans, New York, Washington DC and Boston.
On my return to the Diocese, I served as an assistant priest for a year in Blessed Sacrament, Preston, and then for twelve years at St Patrick’s Barrow Island, Barrow in Furness. I have been here at St Bede’s for over thirteen years and I arrived here in July 2004. Since being here I have been appointed chaplain to the Cumberland Infirmary. Recently (July 2017) the two parishes of St Bede’s and St Edmund’s have been merged into a new parish of “The Cumbrian Martyrs’.
Bernard Whittle: Chair
Tony Holliday: Property
Born in Lytham in 1953, the youngest of eight children. Educated at Westby primary school (long since closed) and St. Bedes Lytham secondary school, leaving in 1969. Joined British Aircraft Corporation (now Bae Systems) from school serving an apprenticeship in machining at Strand Road in Preston. Worked in the machine shops being promoted to supervision in 1985. After transferring to Samlesbury due to the closure of Strand road, continued in a supervisory role until early retirement in 2004. From there I pursued a career in manufacturing and installing bespoke kitchens for a small firm in Lancaster, before becoming self employed as a handyman until full retirement in 2017.
I am happily married to my wife Bernadette. We have four sons, nine Grandchildren and one Great Granddaughter who are all the main focus of my life and from whom I get great enjoyment.
Retirement has allowed me to become more involved in the parish, particularly on a practical level.
Helen McDowell: Secretary
I was born in St Helens, Merseyside and went to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School. I started my working life as a sewing machinist and am now an event organiser.
In 1989 I moved to Freckleton. My daughter attended Holy Family Primary School and I was involved in the PTA at the school. At Holy Family Church I look after the website, bulletin and I am a member of the choir.
In my spare time I like to spend time with my family and I enjoy exercise.
Hayley Benyon: CAFOD
You are very welcome at our Holy Family parish & I am part of our Sunday Little Church team + I am the Safe-Guarding Assistant, alongside being our parish CAFOD co-ordinator.
We are blessed to live in the Fylde & my grand-parents married at Holy Family Church, so our village of “music & flowers” is very special to me & my family.
CAFOD invites us all to put “our faith in action” please see our website www.cafod.org.uk to hear how our aid projects, funded by parishioners from England + Wales, transforms lives ❤️
We always welcome new volunteers & you can contact me via email: hbenyon@cafod.org.uk
Bernie Holliday
I was born in Preston in 1954 one of six children. I attended Blessed Sacrament school until the age of 9, and then the Willows, Kirkham after my family moved to Wrea Green. My secondary education took place at Lark Hill Covent Preston, (now known as Cardinal Newman College) and lead to a career as a Pharmacy Technician at Preston Royal Infirmary, which I left when we started our family of 4 sons after marrying my childhood sweetheart Tony. I have worked in the local community of Freckleton as a dinner lady at one of the local schools and in the local pharmacy and I was the first Pharmacy delivery driver in the area, which enabled me to have a greater understanding of the local community and the people in it. I am now retired which enabled me to look after my grandchildren, who play a huge part of our lives. Both my husband and I spent most of our lives at the parishes of St.Annes, Westby and Holy Family, Warton. St. Annes will always play a big part in our church life, as we met there and were we married ,as were 3 of our sons.