Fr. Patrick Sayles was ordained a priest at Dalgan Park in 1973, fifty years ago.

Born in 1943 in Hampshire, England, he attended Leicester University and after graduation worked in the car industry before becoming a teacher. He studied for the priesthood in London and Rome before joining the Columban Missionaries.

As a missionary, he worked in the shanty towns in Lima, Peru, before being called to work in England on vocation work alongside being part of the Caring Church Week teams in schools, parishes and universities around the country.

He became editor of the Far East magazine for almost a decade before founding a charity called The Prayer Trust in the Millennium year 2000, which has now published some 150 prayer books, booklets, cards and audio CDs.

In 2023, The Prayer Trust charity merged with the Columban Missionaries Britain (Missionary Society of St. Columban) and Fr. Pat continues to lead the work of producing and sending prayer booklets to aid people in times of need and to spread God’s love for all.