His name is John

On the birthday of John Baptist the Scarborough Evening News reports on Fr John's anniversary celebrations:

Service celebrates a life of dedication
RELIGIOUS MILESTONE ...

Father John Andrews prepares to celebrate his 65 years as a priest at a service at St Saviour’s Church with left to right, Rev Tony Mills and the Bishop of Whitby the Rt Rev Robert Ladds

Published Date: 24 June 2008
By Susan Stephenson

A SCARBOROUGH priest delivered a special service to celebrate 65 years since he was ordained.

Father John Andrews, 89, gave the service at St Saviour’s Church in Gladstone Road in the presence of the Rt Rev Robert Ladds, Bishop of Whitby, and received many letters of congratulation – including one from Buckingham Palace.He was also delighted to receive cards from the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York and the pilgrims to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.Father John’s assistant, Clarice Lockwood, said: “The service was absolutely wonderful and he got a standing ovation at the end.“The church was full and there were people in the congregation that Father John had known for over 40 years including people from his former parishes.”After the service everyone enjoyed a buffet, provided by St Saviour’s, and Father John was presented with a book as a special gift.Mrs Lockwood added: “It was a lovely evening and Father John said he felt incredibly proud to be a priest of God.“The thing that really moved him was the congratulations he received from the Dean of Lichfield, having spent 52 years in that particular diocese.”Father John Andrews still gives regular services at St Saviour’s, St Martin’s-on-the-Hill in Albion Road and at the private chapel in Dulverton Hall, Esplanade, a home for retired members of the clergy.He was ordained as an Anglican priest at Southwark Cathedral on June 20, 1943, by Bishop Bertram Simpson.He retired in 1986 and came to Scarborough in 2001 to live at Dulverton Hall, which is run by the Church of England Pensions Board.