Wednesbury - Induction of Father Paul Lester

It was at the Catholic Church of St Mary on the Hill, Wednesbury, that Father Paul Lester was inducted as Parish Priest on Novermber 21st. He was officially welcomed to the Church by Father Malcolm Glaze, Dean of Walsall. Father Lester has been looking after the Parish since September. At the end of the Holy Mass, Father Paul Lester told the congregation, “It gives me great joy this evening now to be officially your Parish Priest. I want to thank you all for the warm welcome you have given me, from the first day of my arrival, and I pray that I will serve you faithfully. I also wish to thank those who have come up from Oxfordshire from my former parish to be here tonight. A special welcome to you.”
“Finally for my good priests, Father Malcolm Glaze, the Dean of this deanery, and in particular for my dear friend Father Ray Corbett here who I am so grateful to for coming here tonight. As you know, Father Ray is happy to come here ‘whenever he can’. And also finally thank you to the choir and to the organist and to the servers. It’s very impressive. You’ve all done so well. Thank you.” During Holy Mass at the Church just a few days before the Induction, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham David McGough told parishioners, “I do want to thank you for receiving Father Paul as your Parish Priest. He will look after you, but I am sure that you also will play your part in looking after him.”
Bishop McGough has responsibility for the pastoral area which includes Wednesbury in the Black Country.