Obituary: Father Bryan Sydney Storey

Father Bryan Sydney Storey was born on 8th May 1933 in London. He was the oldest son of Dorothy and Sydney Storey. He also has a younger brother Keith, who died a few years ago. He was evacuated to Cornwall with his schoolmates in 1940. He and his brother Keith stayed with Rita Deacon (Auntie Rita) and her son Roger, who lived in Bossiney Road,Tintagel. He attended St Materiana Anglican Church in Tintagel every Sunday and was greatly influenced by Canon Arthur Cuthbert Canner. It was here he soon discovered his belief in God. In 1948 he converted to the Catholic faith. After having worked in various London accountancy firms, he did his two year compulsory military service in the RAF as a clerk.

He was accepted for training in the Catholic seminaries of St Augustine's, Walworth, London and St John's, Wonersh, near Guildford, Surrey (1953- 1960).

Father Bryan was ordained on the 16th June, 1960 at St Anselm's Church, Tooting Bec, SW London, by Archbishop Cowderoy for the Diocese of Southwark.He served 11 years as a curate at the Parish of St Peter in Hove. During this time the new Diocese of Arundel & Brighton was formed, he became a priest of A & B Diocese on 14th June 1965.

Due to personal circumstances he moved to Cornwall in 1971. It was meant to be a temporary move but lasted over 47 years! For two years he helped the Canons Regular of the Lateran based in Bodmin, to serve 16 mission stations in Cornwall. He was allowed in 1973 to be Priest in Charge of the CRL Mission in Tintagel. In 1976 the Canons Regular of the Latern (CRL) left Bodmin due to decreasing vocations, Father Bryan stayed on! These were extremly hard years for Father Bryan as Priest's did not get a salary. He lived as the poor do.He found a little flat in Trewarmett run by Roger Deacon and his wife Pat. He lived there for many years before buying his own little cottage in Trewarmett and then finally building Chy an Pronter (Priest's House in Cornish), and living his final years next to the church he had served and loved so well. The Mission is not small and in his younger days Father Bryan would cycle everywhere in the Parish visiting his Parishioners and searching out those who had lapsed through the Legion of Mary. He also founded the International Crusade for Moral Reform and ran Eucharistic Renewal Books. Father Bryan used to love writing letters on subjects that interested him. He appeared on many local radio stations throughout the UK and was even given a 5 minute slot on Channel 4 so he could have his say on morality. Many in the media labelled him a contraversial priest because of his conservative views,but those who knew him well,saw deeper into the heart & soul of the priest.

He was a man of faith, which showed by his actions towards others. He would be the first to ask everyone to pray for the repose of his soul as he was a great sinner. But this great sinner lead many to repentance, many converted to the Catholic Faith because of his love, life and great belief that God had greater things for all of us if only we would open our hearts to him. He had a great love for the Blessed Sacrament and spent many hours kneeling in prayer in front of the tabernacle in deep prayer. The confessional was also a very high priority in his life, not only did he confess regularly, but he made himself available at all times for those in need of the Lord's mercy. In 2010 he celebrated his Golden Jubilee of the Priesthood at St Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Tintagel, Cornwall.The last few years Father Bryan suffered from two different types of cancer, Parkinson's Disease and finally he broke his hip and died due to complications caused by pneumonia.

Born:8 May 1933 - London
Died:26 July 2018 - Truro, Cornwall

Please pray for the Repose of his soul.

Myke Rosenthal-English (Personal friend for over 59 years & former Media Secretary to Father Bryan)