Saturday, October 08, 2011

History as wedding bells ring for priest

WEDDING bells rang out for The Very Reverend Monsignor Mark Paris and his partner on Friday last as they made Swindon history. 

The 31-year-old, who is the parish priest of the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church, wed Christopher Haines in a civil partnership carried out by the bishop of Dumnonia & Wessex 
The Rt Revd Adrian Glover – his first civil partnership – at the Mailcoach pub last Friday afternoon.

Mark, who has been openly gay since he was 16, moved to Swindon after he met Chris at Swindon Pride in 2009 and said he has always been honest with the parish about his sexuality.

“The Liberal Catholic Church is inclusive. People don’t look at me as a gay priest, they look at me as a priest who knows what he is doing. The congregation are all so accepting, it’s absolutely brilliant. They even make jokes about Chris being the vicar’s wife,” he said.

“When I told the bishop about our engagement the first thing he said was ‘congratulations, Father Mark’. When I asked him if he would do the service, he said it would be an honour to do it. This is his first civil partnership.”

The couple, who have been engaged for a year, signed the register at the Register Office before heading down to the Mailcoach for the ceremony and reception.

Both men were given away by their mothers. 

They were accompanied by their sisters as maids of honour, Mark’s nieces who are the bridesmaids, and Mark’s brother who is his best man.

“All my colleagues in the church are supporting us. I just can’t believe it has come round so quick,” he said.

Mark, who wore his collar for his wedding day, said Chris is the reason he moved to Swindon. 

He said: “He makes me the person I am. When I came to Swindon the whole idea was to move away from parish life and be a community priest, but that was a failing part of my life and Chris brought out the potential in me.”

Mark was promoted to The Very Revd Monsignor on September 17.

Chris, 25, who is a customer service adviser, has been baptised by the church and is the treasurer on the church committee and web developer.

“I wouldn’t say I’m that religious, I just support him in what he does. I just see him not the collar,” he said.

The church hit the headlines in September when the first female bishop of the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church was consecrated in the town.