Chaplaincy

Dear Student,

Welcome to the start of a new chapter in your life! It has obviously taken a great deal of time, effort and money to get you to this point of your life – whether you are coming straight from school, or after a gap year, or as a mature student.

You will be facing many new challenges to your intellect and emotions, challenges that will help to broaden and shape the sort of adult you are and will be. Among these challenges are those to your faith. As you grow in the field of your study, your faith will also be tested – and it must grow. Your faith, like the rest of you, must grow into adulthood.

I am the Catholic chaplain to this university. I am here to help you in your faith. Some of you will need to be confirmed, and others may require preparation for marriage. You might want your house or room blessed, or indeed, simply someone to talk to about your life and faith. To that end I am available at the university chaplaincy (the Gatehouse) and at Holy Cross Priory on Wellington Street, where I live in a community with my fellow Dominican friars. There is a large student common room there where students are welcome to drop in, for a chat, or a cup of tea, or simply to put your feet up!

A little bit about myself now. I served two and a half years as a soldier before studying medicine and working as a doctor in a hospital in Leeds. I then joined the Dominican order in Edinburgh, and studied theology and philosophy at the university of Oxford, and more theology at Rome. I now serve as Catholic chaplain to this university, and also teach theology at Oxford.

I wish you all the best, and hope to meet you soon!

Fr Leon Pereira OP

Note: Fr. Leon was the previous chaplain, and is now Parish priest.