At the start of Mass, Archbishop Nichols congratulated the Parish Priest, Fr Dominic Kavanagh, who has just celebrated the Silver Jubilee of his Ordination, and Canon Sean McTernan, also at St Augustine, who this year reaches 58 years of active ministry.

In his thought-provoking homily the Archbishop of Birmingham spoke of the priest as a "minister of life". He said: "On this 'Day for Life', kept by the Catholic Church in England and Wales, we remember that only in Christ do we find life in its fullness. It is the task of the priest to nurture this life, which blossoms into eternal life."

Archbishop Nichols emphasised: "The life of the priest is one of service, in the Church, of this eternal life. This is the fruit we are commissioned to bear, and it is, in Jesus' words, 'fruit that will last'." (John 15).

After his ordination, Fr McCann concelebrated Mass with Archbishop Nichols and more than 40 of his brother priests. His parents, brother and sister, relations and friends, were in the congregation for the memorable two-hour ceremony.

Members of Fr McCann's home parish, Holy Family in Small Heath, Birmingham, were also present to support and pray for him on his Ordination Day.