A Faithful Servant of the Altar: Fr Peter Leeming

Father Peter, instinctively courteous, impeccably dressed and devoted to the prayerful dignity of the liturgy, was a priest of the old English Catholic mould.

Born in Tunbridge Wells in 1953 and raised in Peterborough, he was an only child, much loved by his parents, Harry and Teresa. His mother’s family were of Lancashire recusant stock, and his father had become a Catholic to marry her. The seriousness and steadiness of that faith shaped their home, and shaped Peter.

That family fidelity perhaps helps to explain the care with which he approached the sacred mysteries and life itself. For him, the Mass was never casual; everything had to be ordered aright. Sloppiness, whether in music, in sanctuary style, or even in flower arrangements with one too many colours (or indeed any colour), jarred him.

Over his forty-eight years of priesthood, many retain a vivid memory of the humble and precise way in which he celebrated the Mass. He spoke of Our Lord and of sacred things with a quiet gravity that was neither heavy nor exaggerated, but life-giving. Even his “thank you” was deliberate and sincere.

Although he possessed many titles and honours, he knew that they were held by him in trust and not for self-aggrandisement. Once, a secretary answered the telephone brusquely and apologised when she realised she was speaking to a monsignor. But Peter replied that there was no need to apologise because of his title: courtesy was owed not to rank, but to every person.

Some mistook his old English reserve for aloofness, but in personal conversation he displayed a gentleness and attentiveness that many found personally transformative. Peter had the rare gift of giving each person his complete and undivided attention, as though nothing and no-one else mattered in that moment. He did not measure people by ability, reputation or circumstance. In such pastoral encounters, Christ’s compassion was made tangible to those who came to meet Christ in the priest. This is why Peter was sometimes frustrated when he himself felt unheard or could not hear, because a deep hearing was central to his self-understanding and his priestly ministry. His pastoral care was often most deeply felt by those who were vulnerable and unnoticed, especially those for whom life was a battle. When someone once suggested installing a fish tank in a presbytery meeting room to help parishioners feel at ease, Peter replied, with mild annoyance, “I would hope that the priest himself would help them feel at ease!” Those admitted into his confidence found him unwaveringly loyal, diligently attentive and patiently loving. In return, Peter became for them a close family member to the end.

Ordained in 1977 after formation at Oscott College as a seminarian for the Diocese of Northampton, Father Peter was among the first priests of the newly created Diocese of East Anglia. He would remain a proud and devoted priest of that diocese for the rest of his life. He served as curate in Bury St Edmunds, Sprowston and Cambridge. In 1986 he was appointed parish priest of Felixstowe. His father Harry died during those years, in 1992. In 1995, he became parish priest of St Mary’s, Ipswich, where he served for seventeen years. His mother Teresa died in 2005; many remember the composure with which he presided at her funeral. She was buried with Harry in Felixstowe. In 2012, he returned to Cambridge as parish priest and Rector of Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs, the largest parish in the diocese. In 2018 he was appointed parish priest of St Mary’s, Thetford, his final parish. To these very different parishes, he brought his quiet kindness, gentleness and compassion.

Throughout his pastoral ministry he served the Diocesan Schools’ Commission and Schools’ Service, at various times as secretary, director and chairman.

Father Peter retired to Great Barton in Suffolk in 2022. There he continued to offer Mass in the chapel of the Benedictine Sisters of Our Lady of Grace and Compassion with the same loving care that had marked his priesthood. He died there on 16 February 2026, aged 72, having been cared for by the sisters in his final illness.

In life, Peter’s smile beamed, and he laughed with a low, mischievous growl. After Sunday Mass once, he said to a parishioner: “I’ve a joint of lamb roasting in the oven, a bottle of chilled white wine in the fridge, and after that I’m going to settle back and watch the rugby. There’s a lot to be said for celibacy!”

Monsignor Peter Canon Leeming was a Canon of the Diocese of East Anglia, a Prelate of Honour of His Holiness, and a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Photograph credit: Simon Knott

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