Obituary: Fr Geoffrey Hilton

It is with deep regret, and a sad heart, that I have to report the death of Fr Geoffrey Hilton, the Parish Priest at St Osmund’s in Bolton, who died from a heart-attack in the Presbytery on 9 March this year, at the age of only 60.

On Friday, 24 March, a concelebrated Novus Ordo Funeral Mass was said in St Osmund’s, celebrated by Bishop John Arnold, the Bishop of Salford, accompanied by some 30 priests and civic leaders. The church was so full that it was standingroom only.

In his Homily, the Bishop spoke highly of Fr Hilton, ranking his death as a ‘Sad loss of a great priest.’ In the Eulogy, the speaker highlighted Fr Hilton’s supreme devotion to the Church, and his love of the Latin Mass, as demonstrated by the Midnight Mass at Christmas. He detailed Fr Hilton’s healthy lifestyle, his studies in the history of the Catholic Church in England, and prowess as an outstanding sportsman in several activities, from bowls to rugby. In sports he had been a Chaplain at the Olympics, and a referee for the Swiss Guard in Rome.

His passing is a blow to the Latin Mass Society in Salford, as his church was one of the four where the Latin Mass was said regularly.

The prayers of the many LMS Members in Salford must surely gain him a place in Heaven with the God he so-much adored.

Bernard Richards, Salford LMS Rep