Canon John Rafferty 
Fr John Rafferty was ap
pointed to St Vincent's in 2005 after having spent four years as parish priest at St Patrick's, Telford and prior to that as Spiritual Director at the Venerable English College in Rome. He originally comes from Northwich in Cheshire and was ordained in 1969. Since then he has served at parishes in Birkenhead, Knutsford, Bebington, Ellesmere Port, Stockport and Hazel Grove.
In addition to being Parish Priest he is also Episcopal Vicar for the Clergy
and a member of the Bishop's College of Consultors.
Rev Father David Charters
 Fr David joined St Vincent’s after his ordination in September 2008.
Fr David, the youngest of two sons, was born in Birkenhead in 1974. He attended one the local primary schools, and then after taking GCSEs and A levels, he went on to read French at the University of Wales, Bangor where he obtained a first class honours degree, having already spent part of his degree course in France, teaching English in a Lycee-College. Upon completion of his studies he continued with a specialised formation in Teaching English as a foreign language (T.E.F.L.). Fr David spent half a year teaching Salesian missionaries at their college in Maynooth (Ireland) before joining the Fraternity of Mary Immaculate Queen, a small French community present in the Diocese of Galway, born from the life and spirituality of Clemence Ledoux. The six years Fr David spent with the community would bring him to various Fraternity Houses in France, where he was involved in a variety of pastoral work, before embarking on his formal training for the priesthood at the French seminary in Rome. Moved by a desire to minister in his own Diocese, Fr David offered himself as a seminarian for Shrewsbury and thus completed his formation at the Venerable English College.
Whilst in Rome, Fr David made the most of his linguistic ability and friendliness to make many new friends and to learn about the Church universal. He was committed to the local l'Arche community of which he and several of his fellow seminarians had become faithful friends. David was also very keen to make the most of the academic opportunities offered to him at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He left Rome with no less than three Pontifical degrees, having completed his Licenciate in Dogmatic Theology (specialising in Christology and Anthropology) with excellent results. The leitmotiv guiding and inspiring his studies is the conviction that "it is the mystery of the Incarnate Word which sheds light on the mystery of man" (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22).
Fr David looks forward to the new challenge of ministry in the Diocese contemplating this reality and helping people to realise that it is only in Christ that the longings of the human heart are fulfilled.
Rev Deacon John Penny
Deacon John was born and bred in Coventry. He was Educated at Cardinal Wiseman Boys Comprehensive School and trained as a Graphic Designer at Lanchester Polytechnic. He was married at Corpus Christi Church in Coventry to Debbie in 1975. He has three children and retired from his graphic design business in order to spend more time as house husband and deacon. John and his family moved to Altrincham in 1983 and in 1998 he offered himself for training for the Permanent Diaconate. He was ordained deacon by Bishop Brian in July 2001 at St Vincent’s.
His interests include: walking, horse riding, painting, reading science fiction and DIY. |
