It has been ten years since the SDB parish clergy of the province last came together, so the Youth Ministry Team organised a meeting for them at Savio House on 24th and 25th October 2005.

In the photograph, taken by Fr Bernard Parkes, you can see (from left to right)

• Fr Bob Gardner (Youth Ministry Delegate),
• Fr Michael O'Meara (Glasgow, St Benedict),
• Fr Chris Heaps (Battersea, Sacred Heart),
• Fr Aidan Murray (Newent, Our Lady of Lourdes),
• Fr Dan Donohue (Farnborough, Our Lady Help of Christians),
• Fr Bob Coupe (Bollington, St Gregory),
• Fr Michael Winstanley (Provincial),
• Fr Charles Garrick (Glasgow, St Benedict),
• Fr Michael Hynes (Bootle, St James and St Winefride),
• Fr Austin Malloy (Bollington, St Gregory),
• Fr Peter Brealey (Chertsey, St Anne),
• Fr Jim McGarry (Glasgow, St Clare),
• Fr George Robson (Huyton, St Dominic), and
• Fr Kieran Anderson (Cowley, Our Lady Help of Christians, and Chair of the meeting)

(The pictures in the background were made by Fr Albert Carette.)

Fr Charles Chauvel got as far as the airport in Guernsey, but his flight was cancelled for 'technical reasons' and he had to miss the meeting. Others were thwarted by illness or prior engagements.

In the GBR Province there are now more Salesian priests engaged in parish ministry than in schools or other forms of youth work. In each parish they do their best to

"...respond to the pastoral needs of the particular Churches in those areas which offer us adequate scope for service to the young and the poor... " (Regulations 25)

The oratory or youth centre is an integral part of the work, as is catechesis and bringing back those who have lapsed. In this way our parishes bring the charism of Don Bosco - who was himself a diocesan priest - to those who don't have the opportunity to attend our schools.