This story starts on Thursday the 26th June 2025 while attending a funeral in the same church I served as an altar boy 50 years earlier after the funeral I meet the Catholic priest who done the service telling him I was an ex altar boy from this church after organising a sit down meeting with him the following week after two hours of interrogating father James and prepared to slap his face if he said the wrong answer he never gave me the chance as he told me the truth and all the correct answers.
All my questions he has answered with kindness, understanding and compassion. After several more two-hour meetings, I gave Fr. James a prayer that I wrote and asked him to publish it in the Catholic newsletter, of which he agreed to, and he kept his word and published it on Sunday 14th of September 2025.
I texted him the night before mass and told him that my partner and I were coming to mass the next day to see the proof that he did, and I also asked if I could read it aloud through mass. As he replied, “No, I’m going to get the whole congregation to stand and read it aloud with him.” I replied, “Even better.” I was so pleased he suggested this, as I would have read it aloud to the whole church if he had said I could.
I didn’t really want to, as I knew I would be in tears, but I knew I had to. Seeing my prayer printed on a full page in the newsletter brought me to tears. When Father James told the congregation to stand and for everyone to read the prayer with him out loud, it brought me to tears again. Listening to the whole church read my prayer aloud—well, I cried all the way through it. Exactly what I would have done if I had read it out aloud myself.
This day was a victory for all the altar boys, past and present, for all the victims of abuse, and for the priests who were brave enough to take on the Catholic Church but through bullying lost their lives. I cannot thank Father James Lunn enough for dedicating the whole mass to all the victims of abuse and the fallen who are all in God’s hands now. Fr. James even organized my prayer to be printed on prayer cards for everyone to take home. This act of kindness he did for me, and all the altar boys, and for all the victims of abuse. I highly admire him, for he showed me that day that not all priests are bad.
I’m currently still meeting up with my mate, Father James, every fortnight for a yarn and a cuppa and probably will for the rest of our days. I have had five two-hour meetings with him so far and still have not had to slap him.
Every Sunday Mass on the 14th of September every year from now on forever will be known as Remembrance Mass for all the altar boys and for all the victims of abuse. Finally, us victims of abuse are being prayed for and acknowledged.
My opinion: Father James is a bloody God damn legend and should have got the Pope’s job. I never thought I’d embrace a Catholic priest ever but Father James i do before and after every yarn.