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Canon Paul Jennings marked 50 years of priesthood and many years’ service to the diocesan Tribunal, at a Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard at The St Philip Howard Centre in Crawley on Monday 23 June. Speaking to diocesan staff, volunteers, and past and present members of the Tribunal, Bishop Richard said:

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"The vocation to priesthood doesn’t begin at the moment of ordination but many years before, through the ‘gentle promptings’ of the Holy Spirit. We give thanks for Canon Paul’s response to God’s call today, his work of service in the life of the Church, and for all the blessings our community has received because through his work of justice in the diocesan tribunal, using the law of the church for the purpose to which it is intended: the building up of God’s Kingdom through the provision of pastoral care, and the fulfilment of justice."

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Speaking shortly after the Mass, Canon Paul said:

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“I was ordained in 1975 and began working in the diocesan Tribunal almost immediately. The then Bishop Cormac Murphy O’Connor asked me if I would be interested in going abroad to study Canon Law, I had a couple of days to think about it and then decided to be ‘open to the Spirit’ and travel to St Paul’s in Ottawa.

"Canon Law is a pastoral instrument for the good of the people we serve. It has been a privilege to have been trusted by so many people, those whose dreams haven’t perhaps quite reached fulfilment, but who want to the opportunity to dream again. Treading with justice and compassion and being able to offer fresh dreams and new starts is a wonderful privilege. I have worked with some very special people in over the years and have received help, support, and wisdom from all of them, particularly lay people."

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Ad multos annos!