About Us

OUR PARISH & OUR HISTORY

St Wilfrid’s Church is the Parish Church for Cantley, Bessacarr and Branton, serving some 6,000 homes in those communities and situated some 4 miles SE of Doncaster town centre. There has been a church on the site since the 11th Century. Details of the history of St Wilfrid’s Church and the Life of St Wilfrid may be found in the ‘History’ section of our website.

OUR CHURCH & OUR WORSHIP

St Wilfrid’s Church has been firmly established in the Catholic tradition within the Church of England for over one hundred years and is affiliated to The Society of St Wilfrid & St Hilda and Forward in Faith. St Wilfrid’s Church is part of the Deanery of Doncaster, within the Diocese of Sheffield, and under the pastoral care of the Bishop of Beverley, the Rt. Revd. Glyn Webster.

OUR VICAR

The Revd. Canon Andrew Howard became our Vicar in October 2013.

Fr. Andrew, as he is known to us, was born in Derby in 1963. After school, he worked in Hotel Management for fifteen years, latterly as the Front Office Manager for Hilton International Hotels at Manchester Airport. During this time he obtained a BA in Theology & Religious Studies at Manchester University.

In 1995, he commenced his Ordination Training at the College of the Resurrection in Mirfield and during that time obtained an MA from Leeds University. He was ordained Deacon in the Diocese of Southwell in 1997 and Priest in 1998. He served as Assistant Curate at the Priory Church of Our Lady & St Cuthbert, Worksop, in the Diocese of Southwell, from 1997 to 2001.

From 2001 to 2005, Fr. Andrew was Vicar of St Timothy’s, Hemlington, Middlesbrough, in the Diocese of York, where he was also a School Governor of two local Primary Schools.

In 2005, he was appointed Chaplain to the University of Teesside, in the Diocese of York. During his years at the University of Teesside, Fr. Andrew was also an Associate Priest at St Columba with St Paul & St John the Evangelist, both Anglo Catholic Parishes. He also served as a member of General Synod – House of Clergy – for the Diocese of York from 2009 until his appointment as our Vicar in 2013.

Fr. Andrew has a strong attachment to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham and has led annual Parish Pilgrimages and Youth Pilgrimages to the Shrine for the last ten years.

Since his arrival at St Wilfrid’s, Fr. Andrew has been appointed to the Sheffield Diocesan Synod and is a Governor of St Wilfrid’s Church of England Primary School in Branton.

Fr. Andrew was appointed Joint Area Dean of the Doncaster Deanery in July 2018

It was announced in Sheffield Cathedral at the end of the Eucharist on Sunday 7th February 2021, by the Acting Dean, the Revd. Canon Geoffrey Harbord, that six new Honorary Canons of Sheffield Cathedral have been appointed, of whom one is our Vicar, Fr. Andrew Howard.

We offer our congratulations to Fr. Andrew on this appointment, which is so very well deserved, not only for all that he has done for St Wilfrid’s but also for the wider community in the Doncaster Deanery & the Diocese of Sheffield and within the Hickleton Chapter.

OUR ASSISTANT CURATE

Fr Michael Dixon was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire in 1996.

He first arrived in South Yorkshire at the age of 18 when he came to study History and Russian at the University of Sheffield, where he fell in love with Anglo-Catholic worship at St Matthew’s, Carver Street, in the city of Sheffield.

It was also at university in Sheffield that Fr Michael met his lovely wife, Lydia (a fellow linguist), whom he married at St Michael’s, Carver Street in July 2022.

After a year living in Russia and time as a pastoral assistant at St Michael’s, Croydon, Fr Michael commenced his ordination training at St Stephen’s House, Oxford, where he graduated with a BA in Theology & Religion and a PGDip in Theology, Ministry & Mission in June 2022.

Fr Michael was licensed as Assistant Curate in the Parish at his Ordination to the Diaconate on 26 June 2022. and was ordained to the Priesthood by Stephen, Bishop of Beverley, in Sheffield Cathedral on 2nd July 2023. 

Fr Michael remains interested in all things Russian, football (particularly his beloved Mansfield Town), cricket, and trying to keep his and Lydia’s cat, Harry, out of mischief !

WEEKLY SERVICES & EVENTS IN CHURCH

Sunday

8.00 a.m.   Said Mass         

10.45 a.m. Parish Mass
 

Tuesday

9.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. (in term time) - "Tots on Tuesday"

for Pre-School Children with Parents or Carers   

 

6.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.  (in term time)  "Children's Church"

for Children of Primary School Age                        

 

7.30 p.m. on the 2nd Tuesday of the month

Devotional Society with Benediction

 

Wednesday
9.30 a.m. Said Mass

10.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. with Coffee , Tea & Scones.   

7.00 p.m. on the 3rd Wednesday of the month  - Mothers' Union Meeting

There is a Branch of the Mothers' Union in the Parish which meets monthly.

 

Thursday

5.30 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.. (in term time) "Youth Group "

for 11yrs to 16yrs Age Group                           

 

Friday

7.30 p.m.  The Rosary

8.00 p.m.  Said Mass

 

Saturday

9.30 a.m.  Said Mass

____________________________________________________________________________

PARISH PRIEST

Vicar :  Father Andrew Howard

The Vicarage, 200 Cantley Lane, Doncaster DN4 6PA

Telephone: 01302 285316

E-mail: [email protected]

ASSISTANT CURATE

Assistant Curate: Father Michael Dixon

Telephone:  07914 751996

E-mail: [email protected]

PARISH CONTACTS

Churchwardens:                 

Brian Hudson             01302 481461

Richard Paver              01302 530706

PCC Secretary

Christine Reeves         01302  530174

Parish Administrator 

George Armitage      01302 535967

Treasurer

Diana Halksworth       01302 771040