St Joseph's Society
John Richard Pennington was born in Newton-le-Willows on 10th December 1919, the son of John and Helen Pennington. He attended St Mary and St John Primary School, Newton-le-Willows and the Catholic Grammar School, St Helens, before studying for the priesthood at St Joseph’s College, Upholland, where he was ordained on 26th May 1945.
Following ordination, he was appointed as Assistant Priest at Sacred Heart, Chorley, moving to St Mary, Douglas, Isle of Man, in October 1956. He returned to the mainland six years later in June 1962 as Assistant Priest at St Laurence, Kirkby, and was appointed as Parish Priest of Our Lady of Walsingham, Netherton, in December 1969. His first task in Netherton was to build a new church for the relatively young and growing parish, together with a new presbytery and parish centre. This he did in just two years and in 1971 Archbishop George Andrew Beck opened the new church of Our Lady of Walsingham. He remained in Netherton until October 1978 when he was appointed as Parish Priest of the Church of Holy Cross and St Helen in St Helens.
The year after, he took up what was to be his final and longest appointment. He was made an Honorary Canon of the Metropolitan Cathedral Chapter in December 1979, and over the next twenty-six years the name of Canon John Pennington was to become synonymous with Catholicism in St Helens. He decorated and reordered the vast town centre church and his pastoral and spiritual care for parishioner, visitors and those in need became legendary. He ensured that the bustling shopping centre was well served by the celebration of Mass with five Sunday Masses and three each weekday, including a lunchtime Mass almost always full to capacity, and a 7am Mass which he himself celebrated well into his eighties. The church also became a centre for the Sacrament of Reconciliation with long queues often forming, particularly outside the ‘Canon’s box.’
He worked closely with the local community and with the local Borough Council, where he was an observer on the Education Committee for a number of years. He was also a member of the committee of the local Blind Society, Chaplain to the former Providence hospital, and a member of the team of chaplains ministering at St Helens Hospital. As a Patron of the local Catholic Amateur Gilbert and Sullivan Society he was ever present at their annual productions.
He served as Dean of the area for many years and was a great supporter of the cause for canonisation of Blessed Dominic Barberi, the nineteenth century Passionist priest who received Cardinal Newman into the Roman Catholic Church and who is buried at St Anne’s, Sutton.
He loved the great celebrations of the Church calendar, particularly Christmas (when he always hosted a lunch in the church hall for those who were alone), Easter and the May processions and he was always to be found leading the annual rosary walk through the town each October. He was a prominent member of the ecumenical Christian Council in St. Helens.
As a gentleman blessed with the virtues of good humour and patience he was a renowned host, particularly to his brother priests, whether at lunchtime, suppertime or over an evening game of cards. The presbytery at Holy Cross became something of a centre for those priests who had retired and who would come to celebrate the midday Mass and stay for lunch.
On 23rd February 2001 his work was recognised when he received the Freedom of the Borough of St Helens, fittingly at a special service in Holy Cross church. He greeted the news with typical modesty saying ‘I was totally astonished to receive this great honour for services to the Church and community.’
After his many years of ministry in St Helens he became known affectionately as ‘the Canon’. In January 2005 he relinquished his post as Parish Priest of Holy Cross but remained in the parish for a short time, undertaking the role of assistant priest, before suffering a severe stroke which left him greatly incapacitated. He went to live in Ince Blundell Hall, but as he regained strength, returned regularly to St Helens and to Holy Cross. He died peacefully on the morning of Saturday 19th January 2008 at Ince Blundell Hall. May he rest in peace.