A TROWBRIDGE priest has held a service to celebrate the 40 years since the day of his ordination.

Canon Christopher Brown was ordained to the priesthood in 1972 and commemorated the anniversary with parishioners at St John’s Church, Upper Studley.

He was joined at the celebration of Holy Communion by clergy friends from various parts of the country.

Of his four decades as a priest in the Church of England, 24 have been spent in Trowbridge.

Mr Brown was Rector of St James’ from 1988 to 2009 and of Keevil from 2007 to 2009. He was also Rural Dean of Bradford on Avon from 1994 to 2001.

The 67-year-old said: “Lots of old friends came back to celebrate with me and most of them I had helped towards ordination, which puts my 40 years into perspective.

“It’s been an honour and a privilege to minister to the people of Trowbridge for all these years. I count them as my friends and friends are very special. In some respects, it has felt a long time, but in others it was as if my ordination was yesterday.

“I have met many people at their times of joy and sorrow. We had the 16-year-old choir boy who died from cancer and, next to that, a woman celebrating her 101st birthday.

“I feel very honoured to have been there at the important times in people’s lives, whether good or bad.

“I get young women coming to me to tell me that I christened them, I get married couples coming to me with their children, talking about the day they were wed, and I’ve had people thank me for helping them through hard times when they lost their father 20 years ago.”

Mr Brown, originally from Gosport in Hampshire, was ordained at Christ Church in Oxford and spent some time working in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, before moving to Sherborne, Dorset, and then Trowbridge.

He still conducts services in his retirement and regularly leads days of reflection and quiet in Warminster.

The anniversary service was held on Sunday, June 24, the anniversary of his ordination.