Advent Day of Recollection – 1 December

A proud Mancunian who spent 10 years studying in Oxford and 40 years teaching and writing about the reformation period in Cambridge, John Morrill was ordained deacon in 1996 and was for many years responsible for overseeing diaconal formation in the diocese of East Anglia, chair of the diocesan commission for evangelisation and director of the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes. His wife Frances died in 2007 and following his silver jubilee as a deacon in 2021 he experienced a call to priesthood and was ordained in September 2024. He supplies in all the parishes within 30 miles of his home and leads parish and diocesan retreats. He has four daughters and ten grandchildren.

Rushton Hall’s history spans nearly 600 years, starting in 1438 when William Tresham acquired the estate, with the current mansion evolving from his building efforts, later famously featuring Sir Thomas Tresham’s puzzling Triangular Lodge (1594-7) which he built as a symbol of his Catholic faith and protest against persecution. Grandson of William, he consolidated the estate and was later linked to the Gunpowder Plot It passed through various notable owners, including the hopes (who may have held the Hope Diamond), was a school for the blind (RNIB) in the 20th century, and now operates as a luxury hotel, retaining its Grade I listed status

If you have any questions regarding this event and/or wish to cancel your booking, please email Fr Wayne at frwayne.coughlin@northamptondiocese.org