As the President of CoR, Fr Paul Smyth CMF celebrates the 30th anniversary of his priestly ordination on July 8, a message from CoR’s Vice-President, Sr Frances Orchard CJ:
July 8 1990
“As everyone knows, Paul is an indefatigable worker for CoR and this is an opportunity to thank him wholeheartedly for what he does for religious life in England and Wales as well as for his own Claretian congregation. May he continue in good health and vigour. I am sure he will be pleased to have our special prayers for today, and for the next 30 years.”
In a Youtube video released to reflect on thirty years of priesthood, Fr Paul looked back over his vocational journey, with contributions from those who have known him over the years. Now serving in Hayes in Middlesex, the parish he grew up in and was ordained in, his parish website notes:
In Guatemala, after ordination
“Born in Hayes, it might appear Fr Paul has not gone very far in life, though that would not be true. After his ordination he served until 1996 in Rio Dulce, Guatemala. From 1996 until 2008 he worked at the Claret Centre, Buckden Towers, in Cambridgeshire, before moving to Hayes for a year where he served until he went to Rome to serve as a member of the General Leadership team of the Claretian Missionaries from 2009 until 2015.”
During his time in the General Leadership team Fr Paul travelled all over the world; he recalls one year in particular where he stayed in eighty different locations across four continents!
Working for Solidarity with South Sudan
In addition to now being Parish Priest and President of CoR, he is also Regional Superior of the Claretian Missionaries in the Province of Fatima in the UK and Ireland and in addition, President of Solidarity with South Sudan, an intercongregational project to help the people of that country.
In the Youtube video to celebrate his thirty year anniversary, members of his congregation and parishioners pay warm tributes to him, one confrere describing him as a “super active man!” A longstanding parishioner who read at his ordination Mass said the parish was delighted that he is now back in their midst – adding jokingly that “he is very pushy – he always wants you to do things – but we love him for that!”
An accomplished cook, Fr Paul is the maitre d’ at parish events
Reflecting back, Fr Paul gave thanks for the support of his congregation and parishioners and said he’d been blessed by the opportunity to serve so many different people in so many places. He said that in compiling the video he’d been reminded of how his life as a Priest has been exciting and certainly never boring. He expressed thanks to all those who have supported him along the way – “a life of many blessings” he concluded.
To view the Youtube video, copy and paste this link: https://youtu.be/walk0ZO7tOU
Singing the Salve Regina with his congregation