The Chaplaincy Team

The Chaplains

John Moffatt SJ joined the Jesuits in 1982 after leaving university, where he studied Classics and Philosophy. He has spent most of his working Jesuit life as a teacher-chaplain at St. Ignatius College, Enfield and Wimbledon College, South London (two Jesuit comprehensive schools). There he taught mostly RE/Philosophy of Religion, Latin/Classics and some drama.  This has been interspersed with periods of study at London, Innsbruck and Oxford.  He has done some work in adult formation and has written a book (Beyond the Catechism) to help those who have intellectual difficulties with their faith.  Hobbies include walking up (and down) mountains and playing the viola (at home). Currently he is looking for a band dodgy enough to need his electric viola and iffy tenor sax.

Fr Roger Dawson SJ served as an officer with the Royal Green Jackets before studying Psychology at Durham University.  After a career working as a psychologist with the National Health Service, he joined the Jesuits in 1996 and has since studied Philosophy and Theology in London and Paris. He worked on his Doctorate in Psychology while teaching at Wimbledon College, and has also worked as a psychologist at the GP service for homeless people at the Cardinal Hume Centre in London during his final year of Theology. He is currently Deputy Editor of the Jesuit Spirituality Journal ‘The Way’, chairs the Management Committee for the Jesuit Volunteer Communities in Britain and is a sought after speaker on the subject of ‘positive psychology and the psychology of adolescence.

Alexandra Harrod studied Ancient History at St. Andrew’s University and then spent a year abroad working as a volunteer missionary with the Associate Missionaries of the Assumption in the Philippines, where she taught English and Music and was involved in community development and education projects.  Since September 2007 she has been working as acting and assistant chaplain at Ampleforth College, Yorkshire, where she has been involved in retreat work, sacramental preparation and faith-based activities and events.  We are delighted to have her on the team and hope that she will adjust quickly to a new working environment in which the people outnumber the sheep.

Fr Simon Bishop SJ   Fr Simon was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (an interesting co-incidence given the chaplaincy’s recent link with Mwanza in Tanzania) and then brought up in Fiji in the South Pacific (no his father was not an international rugby player but an educationalist for UNESCO) before going to school with the Jesuits at Stonyhurst, Lancashire. He studied theology (at the other place!) before training and working as a social worker in south London, trying to prevent homelessness among teenagers. Since entering the Society of Jesus he has been mainly involved in chaplaincy work in Jesuit secondary schools: three years at Wimbledon College, three years at St Louis de Gonzague, Paris and four years at St Aloysius’ College, Glasgow. He has just returned from a year abroad – four months with the Jesuits in Guyana, South America, and seven months in Australia where he was completing his Jesuit formation, the tertianship. (For an explanation, see the Jesuit web site, www.jesuitvocations.org.uk) We especially arranged for the chair and vice-chair of the CathSoc to be Aussies, to make him feel very much at home! We hope his time with us will be very happy. You are very welcome!

David Barrins OP   We congratulate David from the Irish Province of the Dominicans on his Solemn Profession, which he made at Blackfriars this September.   He is currently doing the Theology Studium at Blackfriars and will be working with us this academic year on a pastoral placement.  We are very glad to have him with us.

A big thank you    to Sr Judith Lancaster SHCJ (from the Cherwell Centre) and Sr Silvana Dallanegra RSCJ who helped out with their presence at the Chaplaincy over the last two terms and will continue to visit as friends of the Chaplaincy and to assist with weeks of guided prayer.