Meet Our Priests
Fr Barto Blaj is parish priest, and Frs Michael Barwick and Paul Boagey assistant priests.
Fr Barto's welcome message to all:
Dear Parishioners,
As I begin my ministry among you here in Chelmsford, I want to thank you for the warmth and kindness of your welcome. I come with an open heart, a missionary spirit, and a deep desire to serve, guided always by the Holy Spirit.
First and foremost, I am a servant of Christ. Everything I hope to do among you flows from that calling: to remain close to Him, to be faithful to the Gospel, and to help foster a parish life rooted in communion and participation. I ask for your prayers, that I may be a good shepherd, attentive to the needs of God’s people and responsive to the promptings of the Spirit.
I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Fr Martin for his faithful service to this parish and for the generosity with which he has welcomed me. I am very grateful for the care he has shown to this community and for the foundation he has laid, and I thank him for his kindness and support at this time of transition.
When I arrived in England in September 2020, it was a great privilege to come to the UK and to serve the Church here. My years in South Woodford shaped me deeply, and I remain very grateful for that time. To now be appointed Parish Priest in Chelmsford, after more than five years of ministry, is a further privilege for which I thank God.
I am very much looking forward to working closely with our linked parishes, building up the Catholic community together in a spirit of communion and participation. It is my hope not only to serve here, but to make my home among you, walking with you in faith and sharing fully in the life of this parish community.
I look forward to getting to know you, to sharing both joys and challenges, and to discovering together what the Lord is asking of us in this time and place.
Be Holy, Be Blessed, Be Joyful, Do Good and Smile Always,
Fr Barto
St. Therese of Lisieux’s Prayer for Priests
O Jesus, eternal Priest, keep your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart, where none may touch them.
Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch Your Sacred Body.
Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with your Precious Blood.
Keep pure and unearthly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood.
Let Your holy love surround them and shield them from the world’s contagion.
Bless their labours with abundant fruit and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here and in heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown.