Vocations Spotlight: Deacon Jonathan Callejo
May 20, 2026
There was particular joy at St Pancras Church, Ipswich, this year as the parish marked the feast of its patron saint with the arrival of a long-awaited statue, fulfilling a wish first expressed five years ago.
When Bishop Alan Hopes visited the church in 2021 for the feast of St Pancras, he observed that there was no statue of the church’s patron within the building. Encouraging the then newly appointed priest to address this absence, he planted the seed for what has now become a moment of celebration for the parish community.
On 12 May this year, the feast day of St Pancras, that hope was realised. A newly commissioned statue arrived from the renowned Italian workshop Ferdinand Stuflesser, having been carefully crafted and shipped to Ipswich. Parishioners gathered with excitement as the heavy packing cases were opened, revealing the beautifully carved and painted figure. The statue has now been installed just inside the sanctuary, to the left of the altar, where it fittingly honours the saint who has watched over the parish for 165 years.
St Pancras himself is a striking figure of early Christian witness. Born around AD 289 in Phrygia, modern-day Turkey, he was orphaned as a child and travelled to Rome with his uncle. There he encountered the Christian community, embraced the faith, and was baptised. During the persecution under the Emperor Diocletian, he was ordered to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods. Refusing to renounce his faith, he was martyred by beheading in AD 304 at the age of just fourteen. His youth and the many miracles attributed to his intercession led to a rapid spread of devotion.
This devotion soon reached these shores. St Augustine of Canterbury is said to have brought relics of St Pancras to Canterbury, dedicating one of the earliest churches he built in England to the young martyr. Over time, devotion spread widely, including to London, where the ancient St Pancras Old Church stands on what is traditionally regarded as one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in the country, and from which the nearby railway station takes its name.
The new statue in Ipswich depicts the boy martyr in the traditional manner, clothed in a red robe symbolising martyrdom, edged with gold to represent the glory of heaven, and holding both the palm of martyrdom and a book. Inscribed on its pages are the words, Venite ad me et dabo vobis omnia bona, “Come to me and I will give you all good things” (Genesis 45:18). While these words in the Old Testament speak of reward for faithful service, in the context of St Pancras they remind the faithful that those who turn to God’s saints with humility and trust will receive the graces of heaven.
The commissioning of the statue was made possible through the generous legacy of Judy Fell, a devoted parishioner who died three years ago. Her gift will continue to bear fruit in the spiritual life of the parish, as those who come to pray are inspired by the presence of their patron saint. Parishioners and visitors alike are now invited to place themselves under St Pancras’ protection, confident that he continues to accompany the Church on her pilgrimage and to lead hearts towards the “good things” of heaven.
St Pancras, pray for us.
