Leadership at Bongor & Slindon RC parish 

Leadership Team 
The Parish Leadership Team, which the Parish Priest leads, discerns the vision for the parish and decides on the strategy for it’s implementation.  Through prayer and supportive relationships, they seek to encourage and develop fruitful ministries and service for evangelisation.  Members of the Team also take responsibility for some part of the strategic plan, with a view to raising up and forming new leaders within the parish.

Fr David Osborne 

Fr David Benedict Osborne is the pastor and priest of the parish working with the lay faithful to celebrate the presence of the Risen Christ in our lives, work and families.  He presides at our liturgies and oversees the life and work of the church here in Bognor and Slindon.
email: [email protected]

Margaret Fraher 

Margaret takes a lead on the Ministry of Welcome in the Parish and works part-time as the Inclusion Adviser for the Diocese.       
 
email: [email protected]

Pauline Webber​

Mother of four, retired teacher and professional counsellor. Reader and welcomer at Saturday evening masses. I've been involved in numerous diocesan and wider church initiatives over the years and hope that this experience may be helpful to our parish. 
​email: [email protected]

​Jackie Humphreys

Jackie moved to the parish in 2016, and was invited onto the Leadership Team in early 2022.
email: [email protected]

David Beresford

David has worshipped in the parish since 2014, he leads our
leadership stream, and lends a hand in Alpha. David works for the Franciscan Centre in
Godalming.
email: [email protected]

Ethnic chaplaincy: Polish Mission to Bognor Regis
Fr Tomasz Merykz

Since 2006 Bognor has been home to an ethnic chaplaincy to the Polish community in Bognor and the surrounding areas. In the worldwide Roman Catholic church it is common for areas with diaspora communities to be served by chaplains from their home countries. The current Polish chaplain is Fr Tomasz Mezyk, who celebrates the sacraments in Polish in Bognor & Slindon and the surrounding parishes.
Further info: www.parafiabognorregis.com

Parish Centre

Caroline Battersby

Parish Secretary
​Caroline is the go to person if you have a query. She is responsible for the running of the parish office.
The Parish Secretary is a part time paid role. 
email: [email protected] ​

Abby Leggatt ​

Parish Administrator
Abby provides admin support to Fr David, manages building maintenance, security, health and safety, and oversees the management of the parish office.  
The Parish Administrator is a part time paid role. 
           email: [email protected]

Safeguarding lead 

Liz Bedford 

Liz is our parish's safeguarding lead.
If you have any concerns or queries relating to the safety of a child or vulnerable adult in church please contact her directly.  In the case of an emergency or where there is an immediate danger or risk of harm please call 999.
e mail: sg.1@[email protected] | ​Mobile telephone: 07456 420108  | www.bognorcatholicparish.co.uk/safeguarding

Parish Finance committee
The finance committee provides oversight of all the parish's money and ensures it is being well used. Fr Chris Bergin, Abby Leggat, and Caroline Battersby are also members of the committee.

Angela Liu

Angela is the current Chair of the committee. Prior to retiring she was the Bursar of our parish primary school, St. Mary’s. She also co-ordinates Baptism preparation and has helped relaunch the parish woman's fellowship, Ruth Group. Angela has four grown up children and seven grandchildren.

Paul Heselton​

Paul has lived in Bognor Regis for most of his life and has 4 daughters. With a background in Housing management, Paul is now self employed working with rental properties. For 14 years, Paul was a Governor at St Marys RC Primary - 4 of which as Chair of Governors and the Finance committee. He joined the Parish Finance Committee in 2022.

Elizabeth Folman

Elizabeth joined the parish in 2008 after retiring from a long career in the administration of justice, with responsibility for substantial budgets and a large estate spread over a number of sites. She has been a school governor and Chair of NHS Review tribunals. She has two children and five grandchildren. She joined the Parish Finance Committee during the winter of 2023.

Dan McNamara

With his family, Dan moved to the area and has worshiped in the parish since 2016, he was part of the Parish Leadership team between 2017-2019, and joined the Parish Finance committee in 2021. Dan works in the charity sector, leading in business development and fundraising.

Slindon Trust 

When St Richard’s church at Slindon was built in 1865, the Leslie Family, descendants of Anne Countess of Newburgh and owner of Slindon House and Estate, created a trust for ‘the purpose of establishing and maintaining a church, presbytery, school and burial ground’. They bequeathed the land and paid for the building of the church and a handsome presbytery next door, still called St Richard’s House. They also gave a generous endowment. Since St Richard’s merged with Barnham and then Bognor parish, the church’s day-to-day running and administration is run from the Parish Centre in Bognor Regis, but the Slindon Trust still continues its responsibility for maintaining the church and graveyard.

Current trustees (appointed by Bishop Richard Moth):
Robert Bruce, Lawrence Owers and Bishop Richard (represented by Fr Chris Bergin).

Liturgy Committee

The celebration of Holy Mass is the source and summit of our lives and the Liturgy Group meets to ensure that the praise and worship of God in the Mass and other celebrations is planned and co-ordinated so as to enable all parishioners and visitors to participate in prayer with mind and heart and in a welcoming and inclusive community.
Current members: 
Liz Lucas (Chair), Liz Bedford (Secretary), Brendan O’Brien, Anna Tatarczak, Anne Ward, Tony Lucas, Maureen Johnson, Katharine Amaladoss, Vanessa Townsend, and Fr Chris Bergin.