Priestly Brook articles

Preparing for Christmas

Priestly counts down to Christmas Day with some hilarious tales of Nativity plays that go wrong and a message to all priests working hard through this festive period.

The making of a man

In his latest post, Priestly Brook takes us back to the trials of his first job and compares this to the challenge of his ministry training decades later...

Taking a pew - a guide to retirement

Priestly shares his advice for priests that are considering retirement from their parish.

Summer suns are glowing

Negotiating summer fetes and weddings can be a potential banana skin for priests, as Priestly Brook recalls.

My faith was born in the class of '53

Educating SkiptonA young teacher from Belfast, whose wedding I attended, had accepted a teaching post at a primary school near the market town of Skipton, Yorkshire.She had a lovely Irish accent an...

I walked today where Jesus walked

A second pilgrimageChristine and I stood in the roof garden of the Golden Walls Hotel, close to the Damascus Gate overlooking Jerusalem.We heard from within the walls the sound of the call to praye...

The joys and challenges of priesthood

Priestly looks at both the hardships and rewards of priesthood and how the challenges you face can ultimately grow you in your calling.

Lent - can you sacrifice the thing you love most?

The lenten season brings with it the challenge of self denial but also the gift of giving.

Skipping Christmas

Bad castingI'm sat in the crowd at a school's nativity play amongst the usual gathering of parents and siblings. Two lads in the top class can't stand the sight of one another, but have still been ...

Worshiping across the pond

AmericaIt's hard to believe but until I was 50, I had never travelled outside the British Isles! So for such a parochial lad - now a retired priest - to travel across the Atlantic was amazing.The f...