Vicar's Message for July 2025

Dear Friends

On 10th June it was my real delight and privilege to be licensed as Priest in charge of St Blazey. It was a lovely service and superb refreshments at the Football Club afterwards, I am very grateful to everyone involved. This means that I am now Priest in charge of four parishes, Charlestown, Par, St Blazey and Treverbyn. Additionally, we also have an Assistant Curate (Associate Priest), Revd Canon Chris McQuillen-Wright who is working across the parishes for thirty percent of his time in addition to being the Priest in charge of Roche, St Dennis and Luxulyan for the other seventy percent of his working week.

Our parishes have many similarities as well as being very distinctive in their natures. However, the most important thing is that all of our five churches across the parishes (St Blaise, St Mary’s, The Good Shepherd, St Paul’s and St Peter’s) have many wonderful people who are welcoming, friendly, kind and work hard in keeping our churches witnessing to the love of Jesus Christ whoever we may be, wherever we may be.

Two years ago I wrote about St James, whose feast day falls on 25th July and who had a great disagreement with a fellow follower of Jesus, John, about who was the greatest and should have the place of highest honour by the side of Jesus. Jesus told James and John off and taught them about humility saying, “whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant.” He was asking them to be humble and realise that they are to serve and not to be served.

Jesus’ words are a lesson to each and every one of us. Christians in all of our churches are called to serve and are as important as each other. I really want us to go forward remembering that we each have our equally important roles to play and that none of us is here to seek greatness but to serve.

With grace, peace and every blessing

Fr Paul

Revd Canon K Paul Arthur

Priest in Charge of Par, Charlestown, Treverbyn and St Blaise