The Celebration Cake

On 4th March 2006 there was a Mass and Buffet in Thornleigh House, Bolton, to celebrate the Ruby Ordination Jubilee of Fr Tony Bailey.

The cake, shown above, combined the symbols of two of Fr Tony's great passions, his work with Don Bosco Publications, and his favourite football team - Chelsea!

Guests included members of Fr Tony's family, SDBs from Bootle, Bollington, Glasgow and Stockport, past pupils, and colleagues from his time at Bootle and Bolton.

Fr Tony did his studies for the priesthood in Turin and Rome and was ordained on 5th March 1966 in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome. He taught in Bolton, at Thornleigh Salesian College, from 1966 to 1978, and was then asked by Fr Bernard Higgins, the Provincial at the time, to take up the post of Headteacher at the Salesian College in Bootle. He retired from school work in 1995, but took an MA in Journalism at Goldsmith's College, London, and began a new career as Provincial Secretary and Editor of Don Bosco Today. He continued his work in Salesian Publishing at Bolton from 1999 onwards and is now Rector of the community. In his spare time he has been involved in school government and the province Child Protection Team.