Father Darren Percival, parish priest of St Hilda’s, Cross Green and St Saviour’s, Richmond Hill, Leeds, has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the community.
It is recognition for his work during Covid restrictions ensuring that the church’s work did not stop.
“It was important that people knew that though the building was closed, the church was still “open”. I walked the streets of the two parishes in a cassock as usual, so people could see the church was still there for them”, he said.
Among the many things he arranged were a food hub at St Hilda’s – the 17th poorest parish in the country - serving the wider area. But it was achieved only through the intervention of Bishop Paul Slater, then bishop of Kirkstall, with Leeds City Council that permission has given because there was no official food bank in the area.
He also got children involved in the city’s 14-day Community Challenge of home activities, and a sporting challenge.
Through Richmond Hill Elderly Action and Richmond Hill Academy he brought old and young together writing to each other about life in lockdown. Many of those links have continued.
When 200 Easter eggs were donated, he arranged for the school pupils to draw pictures of eggs, put them in their windows, then he and a volunteer left them on doorsteps across Cross Green, Richmond Hill and East End Park.
He conducted twice as many funerals as usual, giving pastoral care sitting on the church wall, or in people’s gardens, having socially distanced conversations instead of home visits. The reality of limited numbers at funerals was brought home to him when his stepfather died in December 2020, and he watched his mother scribbling names of people to invite to the funeral. “It is something you would never normally do”, said Fr Darren.
As RAF Air Cadets’chaplain in West and South Yorkshire he kept in touch with them through videoed services, activities online and took a keen interest in their general and mental health.
“I am honoured and proud to think that as the parish priest of a community such as this with poverty and social deprivation, that it has been recognised.
“At the end of the day I enjoy getting my hands dirty for God, you don’t do it for personal recognition or a higher place in heaven.
“In this Jubilee year it is very special to be honoured by The Defender of the Faith.”
The Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds congratulated Fr Darren on being honoured for his devoted work: “Congratulations to Fr Darren for this recognition of his commitment to the people and communities in his parish and also for his service to the young people in the RAF Air Cadets.”