Pilar Fathers entrusted with the St Vincent de Paul Parish in Osterley from Dec 1
Fr Patrick D'Souza, Chaplain to the Catholics from Goa (left) and Fr Feroz Fernandes, the new Parish Priest at Osterley (right) at the St Vincent de Paul Parish at Osterley-London.
LONDON
In two significant developments for the Goan community in England, the Goan Chaplaincy has shifted its base of operation and has also been assigned a new parish at Osterley in London.
On November 24, Monsignor Martin Hayes, Vicar General at the Diocese of Westminster, announced on their official website that the Pilar Fathers would take up the St Vincent de Paul Parish at Osterley beginning December 1.
Accordingly, Fr Feroz Fernandes has been appointed as Parish Priest at Osterley, and Fr Patrick D'Souza, the Chaplain to the Catholics from Goa, will reside in Osterley.
Fr Mark Leenane (59), the former parish priest of Osterley, died in the presbytery at Osterley on July 6, 2023. Fr Mark had served Osterley since 2004.
"As a new parish priest, it's an opportunity to meet new people who love their faith and accompany the Catholic community," said Fr Feroz Fernandes, Osterley's newly appointed parish priest.
"I am stepping into the big shoes of a priest loved by the community and now grieving the untimely death of their pastor," says Fr Feroz, trusting in God's surprising intervention as he is beginning the new apostolate.
Fr Feroz says people speak about Fr Mark as a warm and welcoming priest – a pastor according to the heart of Jesus.
In the passing away of Fr Mark in July, the parish was with no priest and Sunday Masses were celebrated by supply priests and communion services on weekdays.
The Parish of Osterley, which is situated in the Hounslow Deanery, was founded in 1934. The new church was completed in 2004 and consecrated on September 24, 2005.
STRATEGIC LOCATION
The new location is considered ideal for the Pilar Fathers and the Goan Community.
The Goan Chaplaincy has been based in Mitcham since 2005. Earlier, the Chaplaincy operated from Wimbledon (1991) and Deptford (1999), with a Chaplaincy office in Hammersmith until the shift to Mitcham.
Historically, the Goan Chaplaincy office has moved along with the people. Since 2016, the Pilar Fathers have had a Goan Chaplaincy in Swindon in the diocese of Clifton, catering to the Goan community in the neighbouring diocese.
Fr Patrick D'Souza, the Goan Chaplain in the UK who will operate from Osterley, will reach out to the people in Hounslow, Cranford, Wembley, Southall, Hayes, and other surrounding areas.
“Currently, the Goan Chaplain is based in Mitcham. The Chaplain travels over an hour and a half via public transport to reach these places for Masses or sacramental ministry. Now, the time saved via travel will go back to the people, as most centres from Osterley will be within a 35-minute radius,” said Fr Patrick.
PILAR FATHERS IN UK
The Pilar Fathers has been serving the people in the UK since the early 90s. Currently, seven Pilar Fathers are working in the UK. Fr Stephen Dias, the parish priest, and Fr Jerry Fernandes, the associate, serve at SS Peter and Paul Church, Mitcham, about 9 miles south of London.
Fr Lucas Rodrigues is the parish priest at Holy Rood Church, with Fr Mark Furtado as the associate in Swindon, about 80 miles west of London. The Pilar Fathers also administer the Sacred Heart Parish in Royal Wootton Bassett.
Fr Francis Colaco is the parish priest of St Peter’s Church in Swindon. Fr Patrick D’Souza, the Goan Chaplain in London, covers three dioceses: Southwark, Westminster, and Brentwood. Fr Lucas and Fr Mark minister to the Goan Chaplaincy Swindon in Clifton diocese.
The recent addition is Fr Feroz Fernandes, the parish priest at St Vincent de Paul Church, Osterley, about 10 miles west of London and 10 minutes from Heathrow airport.
MISSION OF PILAR FATHERS
Fr Stephen Dias, the Local Superior of the Pilar Fathers Community in the UK, looks at the broader picture of the service of the Goan Chaplaincy to the diaspora in London.
“The Society of Pilar is grateful to the Diocese of Westminster for entrusting a parish and welcoming the Pilar Fathers in the Hounslow deanery. We are really happy to be around people and shift the base of operation of the Goan Chaplaincy to Osterley,” says Fr Stephen, the parish priest of St Peter and St Paul Church, Mitcham, in the Archdiocese of Southwark.
“The presence of Pilar Fathers in the Brough of Hounslow and neighbouring areas will boost the efforts to spread the devotion of Fr Agnelo among the Goan Community and beyond,” said Fr Stephen Dias, who is also the coordinator of the promotion of the devotion of Venerable Agnelo de Souza along with the Friends of the Association of Fr Agnelo.
