Farewell Canon John
As from Monday, February 1, Canon John O’Shea, Parish Priest of the City Centre parish of St Edmund and St Joseph, who has been Coordinating Priest of our Pastoral Area of Southampton Central & West since its inception, and prior to that Dean of the Southampton Deanery, is leaving the city after ten years’ service and moving to be Parish Priest of St James in Reading.
His place will be taken by Monsignor Vincent Harvey, who is one of the Vicars General of the Diocese – that is, one of the Bishop’s deputies for the administration of the Diocese – and has been Parish Priest of the Holy Ghost parish in Basingstoke, where one of his recent prominent concerns has been overseeing the building of the large new parish complex of St. Bede (church, centre, presbytery) to replace a number of scattered Mass centres. He has been on a Scripture study sabbatical in the Holy Land during the autumn (read and see more at his sabbatical blog), hence this slightly unusual time of year for a clergy move.
Moving is always a traumatic experience and we wish them both well as they move to new surroundings. The Pastoral Area thanks Canon John for his years of service to parish and city, and offers its welcome to Monsignor Vincent.
Canon John O'Shea
Mgr Vincent Harvey