The Middlesbrough parishes of The Holy Name of Mary and St Thomas More

In 2004 The parishes of The Holy Name of Mary and St Thomas More, both in central Middlesbrough, were twinned.

As the Diocese of Middlesbrough grapples with the problems presented by the falling number of priests in active ministry both communities have had to adapt to being served by two priests from the same presbytery.

Fr Paul Farrer is Parish Priest, Fr Bill Surplus assists as much as possible but his main job is to act as Hospital Chaplain to the James Cook University Hospital and St Luke’s Hospital.

The demands of both parishes and the hospitals have meant that a more colaborative approach to the work of a parish community has had to be adopted by both parishes. This is a huge change to parish living.

Both communities are also looking to the future. Struggling with the challenges that being served by only one priest will bring and looking even further into the future when they will be joined by even more parishes.

This website reflects the current reality of the existence of both communities. It tells us a lot about how both parishes work and about what we do together. It also has a crucial role in allowing ministry in both parishes to become truly colaborative.