Parish Clergy & Team

  • Fr Johnpromise Umeozuru

    Parish Priest

    jumeozuru@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

    I am Fr Johnpromise Ikenna Umeozuru, originally from Nigeria but a citizen of Great Britain. Born on the 1st of May 1982 in Aba town Nigeria, and into the family of Mr Marcel and Mrs Elizabeth Umeozuru of Umuchu village in Anambra State, Nigeria. I have five other siblings: four brothers and one sister. I felt the call to the priesthood at the age of 7 through the exemplary life of my then parish priest in Nigeria – Late Mgr Raph Nwosu. I entered the minor seminary when I was 11 years old and after 19 years of seminary formation in Nigeria, Rome and England, the amiable Bishop Philip Egan ordained me a priest on the 20th of July 2019. My long stint in the seminary led to my graduating with a B.A Hons in Philosophy from University of Ibadan Nigeria, a B.Phil and STB respectively from Pontifical Urban University Rome, a B.Tec from International School of Business Studies London and an MBA from Cardiff Metropolitan University Wales. After my priestly ordination, I worked in Jersey for 2 years as an Assistant Priest under Canon Dominic Golding. In 2021, I was transferred to City Centre Southampton Parish for 2 years as an Assistant Priest under Mgr Canon Vincent Harvey. Before joining the diocese of Portsmouth, I worked full time for 7 years as a deputy manager in a residential care home in London, and part time as a qualified Assessor/Tutor within the Health and Social Care Sector in England. My hobbies include: gyming, jogging, running, singing, cooking, movies, meditation, long walks, travelling, reading, and writing, arts, making friends and critical thinking.

  • Dcn James Snyder

    Parish Deacon

    jsnyder@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

    Hello, and you are most welcome to the parish website. My name is Deacon James, and I’ve been a member of the parish for 20+ years, having first moved to the area back in 2003. We were two parishes back then, The Holy Trinity in Church Crookham and Our Lady, Spouse of the Holy Spirit in Fleet. Since then, we have become one vibrant parish community. It was Fr Michael Stanier and Deacon John Cumpsty who encouraged me to consider the sacred diaconate, Fr Sean Tobin who sponsored my application, bountiful prayers from parishioners, and, on 01 July 2017, I received the Sacrament of Holy Orders by the Right Reverend Philip Egan, Bishop of Portsmouth at St John’s Cathedral. As a Permanent Deacon, I am also employed full-time in the Technology Sector and a Chaplain for the local Royal Airforce Air Cadets Squadron.

  • Mrs Jacqueline Bradley-Green

    Parish Administrator

    office@htaol.org.uk

Parish History

Our Parish is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth, covering Hampshire, Berkshire, part of Oxfordshire and Dorset, the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands.

We form part of the local Deanery of Blessed John Body, which covers North-East Hampshire

Church of our Lady

The Holy Trinity Church

A small Catholic church was built in Kings Road Fleet in 1908. It was intended that a larger building be added when the need arose, so that the first part would be a side-chapel of the main church. When however, the enlargement was made in 1934 a new plan was followed which severely limited any further development. The last addition was made in 1948, bringing the seating capacity up to 172.

The present building was designed and built by Lanner Ltd., of Wakefield Yorkshire, to a ground plan put forward by Canon Walsh. The octagonal design of the main building allows seating for 326 to be so arranged that there are only ten rows in the main aisle and nine in the two sides.

The porch, tiled in checker board pattern of terrazzo, confronts one immediately with the font seen behind a clear glass and mahogany screen. At the same time one sees through to the altar which, in its hexagonal base and the Welsh slate from which it is made, proclaims its unity with the font. Both are the work of Michael Murray, who also made the altar candlesticks, the sanctuary lamps and the combined alter-cum-processional cross.

The vaulting of the nave is by four pairs of laminated wooden arches meeting in a steel pressure ring, each pair giving a clear span of 68 ft, surmounting the ring is a slim fleche.

The walls are of reconstructed Cornish granite, the floor of maple, except for the altar area which is of Yorkshire stone.

The mosaic of the Madonna with angels overshadowed by the Holy Spirit is the work of Dr J. 0. Bajo, a Hungarian working in this country. The Stations of the Cross were cast in bronze at Angers in France by Rene Gourdon.

The silver-crowned statue of the Madonna and child is a link with the old church, and was retained at the request of some senior parishioners.

The Solemn Blessing of the new Fleet Catholic Church of Our Lady was on the 25th March 1966, by The Rt Rev. Mgr. Derek Worlock Bishop of Portsmouth.

The church was served by Priests from the Salesian College, Farnborough until 1947, who allowed a priest to live in Fleet.

The Parish of The Holy Trinity, Church Crookham was formed in 1958 by a division of the parish of Fleet. There was a church in the area already, the Garrison Church of Our Lady of Lourdes. This church which had been built for the troops about 1920 had been looked after by the Salesian Priests from Farnborough who acted as Officiating Chaplains. This duty was taken over by the Parish Priest. The territory of the new parish comprised the area of Fleet south of the Basingstoke Canal and the villages of Crookham, Dogmersfield, Winchfield, Ewshot and Crondall. Daily Mass began in 1958 when the first Parish Priest took up residence in the presbytery in Moore Road.

In 1960 a plot of land in Aldershot Road was purchased. On this site an old house called Woodey Corner had stood, it had a lot of timber in its construction and the roof was thatched. One day the owner Captain Duckworth and his wife went out leaving a fire in one of the rooms and when they returned the house was completely burnt down.

The growth of the parish and the running down of the army necessitated the building of a new church. This was designed and constructed by the same company that built the Fleet Catholic Church and the design closely resembles it. The church was opened in 1968, and the following year the presbytery was built and the old presbytery in Moore Road was sold.

The number of parishioners continued to increase and in 1973 it was decided to build a hall in order to provide a social centre and meeting place. By 1975 the debt on the church was paid thus paving the way for the Dedication and Consecration which was carried out at a special service on 5th July 1975 by The Right Reverend Derek Worlock, Bishop of Portsmouth.