The word ‘father’ represents not just an honorary title to Fr Jonathan Martin but one which expresses the genuine reality of a spiritual relationship – he sees his role as that of pater familias to the parishioners he looks upon as an extended family.
For this devout and thoughtful man, pastoral care is at the heart of his ministry.
“As a priest, you are intimately involved in the lives of individual parishioners. It’s a privilege to be there at all the significant stages,” he says.
Becoming a man of the cloth was not at the forefront of his mind when he was growing up in Hampshire, but he feels that perhaps the ecclesiastical path was beckoning him even as a child, lying dormant until the right moment came along.
“I’m not from a religious background at all, in fact, my younger brother Steven isn’t even baptised,” Father Jonathan says.
“When I was in my first year at university in Exeter, studying for a degree in music, I was finding that certain pieces of music were moving me more and more and awakening in me a sense of the beauty of God.
“Then, two things really inspired me. One was meeting a priest and seeing him going about his daily business, particularly the devotion with which he celebrated Mass – I realised for the first time in my life that was what I wanted to do.
“I also had a very influential friend at university, three years older than me and beginning his Doctorate. One day he took me to a particular church and that visit clarified my thinking.
“It was pure chance. If I hadn’t gone there, I don’t know what kind of career I would have gone into. Perhaps it was divine providence.”
The belief of divine providence is that God governs as a loving father, working for all things right, and Father Jonathan believes it was God who first called him and who continues to inspire and sustain him.
Father Jonathan was ordained as a priest in 1996, and before coming to Lewes, he served in several parishes in Sussex, including such diverse environments as Chichester and Crawley.
“When you are ordained, you become part of the diocese, and you don’t have any choice about which parish you go to,” he explains. “It’s rather like a chessboard – the bishop has a certain number of ‘players’, and when a parish needs a priest, he sends one there.
“In the days when the bishop had more pieces on the board, it was just a case of you were sent wherever you were needed. Now there are fewer priests, I think appointments are more carefully considered, and as parishes can be very different, the bishop tries to match up a priest’s interests, talents and gifts with the place he is sent to.
“I find that lack of personal choice is actually quite liberating, particularly if you believe that there is always a reason you are sent to a certain parish; that somehow, you are where God wants you to be. We are all one family in the Church. I’ve been to lots of different places and been very happy in all of them.”
Father Jonathan became parish priest at St Pancras seven years ago but has had a strong connection with Lewes for about 13 years.
“My best friend was parish priest here, and for five years, I had a room at the presbytery while I was doing some further studies in Rome. When I returned, it was very easy to settle in as I already knew the people and didn’t have to struggle with things like figuring out where the light switches are!
“Being here in Lewes has been the longest stable period in my adult life. I love the town.”
He is immersed in the life of Lewes and his congregation, enormously valued for his devotion to his faith and dedication to pastoral care.
Having been inspired to become a man of God by observing the work of a dedicated priest, Father Martin is modest about the extent to which he may have inspired his parishioners.
“I hope to make a difference here,” he says. “My mother was a teacher, and at her retirement from the last school where she had taught for 25 years, it was very moving to hear people talking about the importance of the influence she had had on them.
“As a priest, you are involved with so many things for so many people, but you don’t grasp how much the things you have done may have meant. But it’s enormously rewarding to see youngsters growing up in the faith – you feel it like a father, like a parent.
“It’s essential for a priest to have a sense of connection with the life of the town, not just the lives of his congregation but of the whole community. Every town has its particular flavour and distinct features, so you have to be aware of the local economy, the sociology.
“I love Lewes, I feel at home here. I also like to think that wherever I’ve been, I’ve felt at home, it’s not just about bricks and mortar but about living amongst people who genuinely become my family.
“Parishes are always very good meeting places, and reflect the nature of the local community in a unique way. This parish has a very diverse constituency. It has quite a wide demography, the biggest social spectrum I’ve ever encountered in a single congregation. We have academics (retired and active), a retired high court judge, other professionals, artists of all kinds, many local tradespeople and craftsmen. After Mass on Sunday, for instance, it’s good to see a judge and a carpenter chatting together over a cup of coffee.
“Visitors are always welcome. At St Pancras – where it’s one priest, one parish, one church – it’s very easy to spot the visitors and offer them a personal welcome after Mass. I know the names of everyone in the congregation, and if anyone is not there, we’ll make sure someone calls to see if they are okay.
“Here in Lewes, we have set up a good system of pastoral care, by area. In each area of the town, we have a ‘link person’ (a member of our congregation) who can offer help for anyone who is in difficulty or get in touch with someone who can assist. That also extends beyond our congregation, to people who live in that particular area.”
Father Jonathan is also very aware that the Church must play a part in any challenges that arise for the town and its residents.
“If you look around, you see boarded up shops, reflecting the local economy. There is poverty in Lewes, and we now have food banks, something which I’d never have imagined here even a decade ago. There are families in our school who can’t afford to feed their children, so we offer direct, practical assistance to them.
“It’s happening everywhere, of course, a sign of the age we live in, but it’s heightened in a town like this which is not usually associated with poverty.”
Father Jonathan’s love of Lewes is reflected in every room of the presbytery, on which he has put his personal stamp to make it a tranquil base from which he can focus on his demanding schedule. In addition to his role as a parish priest, he is the bishop’s Vicar General, dealing with a considerable volume of the day-to-day administration of the diocese. He also retains his love of music, though has little time to play his beloved harpsichord.
Highly intelligent and forward-thinking, as well as being blessed with a genuinely caring nature, God’s will may mean that one day he will be moved elsewhere to make even greater use of his talents.
As priests are becoming fewer in number, strategic plans for the future are being put in place, involving the amalgamation of parishes. In the next few years, the parish priest of Lewes will also take on responsibility for Seaford, Newhaven and Peacehaven.
“We haven’t any choice,” he explains. “It is better to embrace the necessity, and there is no point in waiting, you have to plan ahead. It’s in the planning that one can make provision for excellent pastoral care to continue.
“I hope I shall still be here when that happens, though I have to accept that at some stage I might have to leave Lewes. But I love being a parish priest and the truth is that I feel more joy now in my vocation than when I was first ordained.
“I can’t imagine myself doing anything other than being a priest, thank God!
“And I plan to be around Lewes for a long time, I’ve even bought my grave here!”
Totally Devoted
Father Jonathan Martin, the parish priest at St Pancras Catholic Church in Lewes, talks to Jo Rothery about how much the town and the congregation he serves mean to him