The Right Reverend John Hine – 1978-1986
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Southwark
Fr John came to Bearsted in January 1978. Mass began to be said on Saturday night at the Methodist Church and Sunday morning at the Bearsted King George Memorial Hall. During the week masses were celebrated in both his home and also those of parishioners before our church was built. Fr John left Bearsted to become Vicar General at Southwark, maintaining links to our Parish over the years, returning at Christmas to celebrate Midnight Mass alternating between St Peter’s & The Good Shepherd until 1996.
Fr Christopher O’Brien RIP 1986-1996
Fr Chris’ first role as Parish Priest, coming to Bearsted from The Sacred Heart Sittingbourne. Following on the foundations laid by Fr John. We remember Fr Chris involving the children in the Mass, giving them a real place in our parish community. He was also valued for the care and love he showed to those in distress or difficulty, for the elderly, the sick and above all the dying. He saw the parish as a family in which everyone had a part to play, however small. He developed groups for the unemployed people and those who were bereaved amongst the playgroup and the Mother and Toddler group. During Fr Chris’s time here our parish hall was built. He forged link with Christ the Redeemer Church Nicaragua, who became our ‘sister parish’ He led us in our Parish Mission with the theme ‘I will be with you’ He left us after 10 years to become curate at Our Lady Immaculate Tolworth.
Fr Chris died on the 22nd August 2021 aged 85 at the ‘Lady of the Vale’ home in Altrincham, Cheshire.
✠ May he rest in peace and rise in glory ✠
Fr Peter Mansfield 1996-2005
Fr Peter’s first appointment as Parish Priest. He came to us after previously serving as assistant priest at St Andrew’s, Thornton Heath and St Saviour’s Lewisham as well as spending time at St Augustine’s, Bellingham where he had a roving brief, preaching and teaching on the theme of reconciliation. Fr Peter was valued for his strong commitment to the teaching of the faith in his homilies, in the Journey in Faith Group and preparing our young people for the sacraments, and sense of humour!
Being musical (he’s an excellent tin whistle player!) he introduced more sung Masses and youth projects. Parish Pilgrimages were first introduced by Fr Peter, the first being to the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock, the second being to Greece ‘ in the footsteps of St Paul’ Changes and improvements were also made to the fabric of the church and presbytery before sadly leaving to become Parish Priest at Our Lady and St Philip Neri, Sydenham. Fr Peter has since moved and is Parish Priest at St Aidan’s, Coulsdon, Surrey
Monsignor Timothy Galligan 2005 – 2011
Monsignor Tim arrived in Bearsted from Sydenham Parish. He spent eleven years preparing future priests in Rome and then at St John’s seminary, followed by eight years on the staff of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The following four years were spent as Parish Priest of Our Lady and St Philip Neri, Sydenham.
In addition to his Parish duties – Masses, baptisms, weddings and funerals, visiting the sick and day to day administration, Msgr. Tim was also Chairman of the Diocesan Christian Unity Commission.
Msgr. Tim left Bearsted to become Parish Priest at St Vincent de Paul, Battersea South Parish.
Reverend Cyril Durbin.
Cyril was Deacon for St Peters and Good Shepherd for over 30 years.
Fr Geoffrey Pointer
Father Geoff joined as Parish Priest in 2011 and handed over to Fr Oliver Antao in November 2025. During his tenure, Fr Geoff led the Parish through the Pandemic in 2021 and became a worldwide online success as his masses were streamed globally, as far as the United States and New Zealand, to an audience of over 1500 virtual attendees. In more recent times, he inspired the focus of the 40th Anniversary of the Parish through our relationship with Fr Joe in Ghana, and the funding of two nurses from Fr Joe’s Parish. Raised in Maidstone, after 14 years he is retiring to the family bungalow in Loose.