News

The Archdiocese of Southwark announces the following appointments.

Parish priests

• Father Emmanuel Fatai Ogunnaike MSP has been appointed as parish priest of St John the Evangelist, Gravesend, succeeding Father Moses Amune MSP. In welcoming Father Emmanuel, we are also very grateful for the ministry and service of Father Moses.
• Father Godwin Alkali CSSp who has been serving as parochial administrator in the parish of St Michael, Chatham, has been appointed as parish priest. He will succeed Father Peter Ehinmiro CSSp who is sadly stepping down as parish priest due to ill health. Father Peter will continue to remain in the presbytery as an also resident priest. Please pray for him for his health and wellbeing.

Assistant priests

• Father David Hunter - Rochester
• Father Gildas Parry O. Praem - Our Lady of Sorrows, Peckham

Overseas priests

We wish to welcome the following priests from overseas, who have come to work in our Archdiocese, and have been appointed to the following parishes:

• Father Leszek Sadowski (Diocese of Bialystok) - Our Lady of Reparation, West Croydon
• Father Melus Melody Ezekia (Diocese of Gweru) - St Augustine, Tunbridge Wells
• Father Edwin Raj Chinnathurai (Diocese of Kuzhithrai) - Sacred Heart, Wimbledon
• Father Chukwunonso Anosike (Diocese of Nnewi) - St Teresa’s, Ashford
• Father George Humble Opio (Diocese of Lira) - St Thomas More, Dulwich
• Father Godfrey Ogwang (Diocese of Lira) - Corpus Christi, Brixton Hill
• Father Boniface Arapa (Diocese of Lira) - St Edmund, Beckenham
• Father Michael Eze (Diocese of Aba) - St Peter the Apostle, Woolwich
• Father Alfred Mamman (Diocese of Zaria) - St John Fisher, Merton
• Father Istifanus Katung (Diocese of Zaria) - St Boniface, Tooting
• Father Peter Mudu Frank (Diocese of Zaria) - Sacred Heart, Wimbledon
• Father Charles Ozurumba (Diocese of Orlu) - St Elphege, Wallington
• Father Cajetan Dara (Diocese of Orlu) - Our Lady of the Annunciation, Addiscombe
• Father Ajoob Thottananiyil Abraham - St Teresa’s, Ashford (and Syro-Malabar Chaplain)
• Father Bibin Varghese (Eparchy of Kanjirapally) - Corpus Christi, Tonbridge (and Syro-Malabar priest to the community in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells)
• Father Gabriel Onoyima CSSp - Good Shepherd, Dover and Aylesham
• Father Ngouala Christ Lepaty CSSp - St Andrew, Thornton Heath
• Father Lawrence Danladi MSP - St John the Evangelist, Gravesend. He will also serve as Chaplain to the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy, Gravesend

Parochial Administrator

Father Jaroslaw (Jarek) Zachariasz OFM Conv has been appointed as parochial administrator of St Patrick’s, Waterloo. In welcoming Father Jaroslaw, we would also like to take the opportunity to thank Father Rory Doyle OFM Conv who has moved on as parish priest to a new appointment with his Order outside the Archdiocese.

New Deans

Following recent consultations among the clergy, and subsequent discussions with the Archbishop’s Council, we are pleased to announce the appointment of the following priests as Deans for the next three-year term. Their appointments commence on 1 January 2026.

• Bexley: Father Regis Rubaya
• Bromley: Father Saju Pinakkattu Thomas
• Camberwell: Father Bartlomiej Dudek
• Greenwich: Father Roy Tablizo
• Lambeth: Father Valentine Erhahon
• Lewisham: Father Krzysztof Krzyskow
• Cathedral: Canon Michael Branch
• Croydon: Father Patrick Feyisetan
• Kingston: Father Michael Lovell
• Merton: Father Simon Peat
• Mortlake: Canon Michael O’Dea
• Sutton: Father Patrick Udotai
• Wandsworth: Father Addison Okpeh MSP
• Canterbury: Canon Philip Glandfield
• Chatham: Father Arbogast Lekule
• Dover: Father Peter Iwuoha CM
• Gravesend: Father Jude Iroh MSP
• Maidstone: Canon John Diver
• Thanet: Canon Philip Glandfield
• Tunbridge Wells: Father Piotr Kucharski

We would also like to thank the following priests who have served as Deans for a number of years, for their dedication and ministry in their respective Deaneries:

Canon Edward Perera (Bexley), Father Stephen Wymer (Bromley), Monsignor William Saunders (Mortlake), Father Richard Plunkett (Greenwich), Father Antony Megalan Sellam (Lewisham), Father James McGillicuddy (Sutton), Father Shaju Varkey (Wandsworth), Father Neil Vincent (Chatham), Father John Panario (Dover) and Father Moses Amune MSP (Gravesend).

We would also like to thank Canon Liam Gallagher and Canon Marcus Holden for their time serving as Deans in Maidstone and Lambeth, before moving on to their respective current appointments as parish priest of Wimbledon Park and Rector of the Beda College in Rome.

Further appointments

• Father Gerard Sheehan, a member of the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei has recently moved into the Archdiocese and will be resident at the Kelston Centre in Balham. He will be helping with pastoral care at the Kelston Centre as well as the Hillcrest Centre in Purley.
• Abbot Hugh Allan O.Praem who had been serving as assistant priest in the parish of Our Lady of Sorrows, Peckham asked to be relieved of his duties as assistant priest after taking on additional duties with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales. He will remain as the Superior of the Community in Peckham, and also continue his valuable work for the Archdiocese as Episcopal Vicar for Religious.
• Father Douglas Beard OAR arrived in the Archdiocese earlier this year and has been resident in the parish of St Anne’s, Vauxhall. He is providing help in the parish as well as doing chaplaincy work at HMP Maidstone as part of the Latin American Chaplaincy outreach to prisoners.
• Father John Ashu CM, who was part-time hospital chaplain at St Thomas’s & Guy’s, has now become full-time. We are very grateful to Father Gildas Parry O. Praem who has now given up his part-time ministry at the hospitals, and to the eight priests from the Cathedral Deanery who have generously committed to providing on-call cover during Father John’s time off and holidays.
• Earlier in the year Deacon Tom Kavanagh gave up his role as Diocesan Director of Missio, which he had carried out over the years so faithfully and so well. I am deeply grateful to him, as I am to Father Joseph Donkor for generously taking on this role in addition to his parish duties.

Diaconal appointment

Rev Quentin Léon-Dufour, a seminarian and member of the Emmanuel Community in the Maison St Séverin seminary in the Diocese of Paris is spending his diaconate year in the parish of St Elizabeth, Richmond. He will then return to France to complete his studies for ordination to the priesthood for the Diocese of Paris.

Education

We wish to congratulate Father Joseph Owusu-Ansah on his new role as Higher Education Chaplaincy Diocesan Co-ordinator. We are grateful to him for accepting this role, in addition to his parish duties at Birchington.

Please join us in praying for all the clergy in our Archdiocese.

Further appointments will be announced in due course.