A NEW parish priest for Liskeard was given a warm welcome by members of his congregation and the town’s mayor.

Father Cyriacus Uzochukwu led his first service at Our Lady and St Neot Catholic Church.

He’ll be priest-in-charge for the catholic churches in Liskeard, Torpoint, Saltash and at Sclerder Abbey, and follows in the footsteps of Father Gilmour Mc Dermott, who retired in September having served in Liskeard since 2015.

“After the lovely service a buffet was laid on, during which Father ‘C’ cut his special cake,” said mayor Christina Whitty.

“Father Cyriacus said that he was very much looking forward to working with the community.”

Wishing well to their outgoing priest, the team at Our Lady and St Neot said that Fr Gilmour Mc Dermott had been ordained in 1973. After roles in Surrey and in Sussex he was put on loan to the Plymouth Diocese and has remained part of the Diocese ever since.

“Fr Gilmour arrived at Liskeard, Our Lady and St Neot in 2015.He has put in hand many improvements to the church and has built a loving and welcoming community, which is open and supportive to all,” said a spokesperson. “He has frequently led pilgrimages to the Holy Land – and many parishioners have fond memories of travelling with him and stories to share regarding his incredible historical knowledge of the local area. In recognition of his concern for the Christian communities in the Holy Land, he was appointed as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. Since coming to Liskeard, he has sought to provide material support to the Christian families and groups who live in the complex and difficult context of the Middle East today.

“We would like to extend our warmest thanks to Fr Gilmour for serving our parish and the best of luck with his retirement. Everyone in the parish thanks him for his time and energy in supporting our local parish and building it into what it is today.

“Finally we extend the best of wishes to our new parish priest, Fr Cyriacus.”