Special thanks at Fr Frankie’s first Mass
Father Frankie Mulgrew had a special present for his dad Jimmy Cricket, the famous entertainer, when he celebrated his first Mass as a Roman Catholic priest.
Having been ordained at Salford Cathedral the previous day, Fr Frankie said his first Mass at St Vincent’s RC Church in Norden, Rochdale, where has been based for several years.
During the Mass, Fr Frankie – hugging his dad and thanking him for all he has done for him (picture above) – presented him with a special gift as a token of his gratitude… a copy of the book entitled Does God LOL?
Frankie has compiled the book, which develops a theme around whether God has a sense of humour with the help of well-known contributors including Tim Vine, Ricky Tomlinson and Jo Brand.
He dedicated it to his father who said he had no idea this was going to happen.
Among the hundreds of people who attended the packed service at St Vincent’s was Liz Dawn, 
who played Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street.
Above, she is pictured talking to another of Frankie’s friends, Liz Creagh, after the service.
Liz Dawn was at both the ordination and the first Mass, and Frankie said he was really thrilled she had attended both events.
Lord David Alton
, who has been a great guiding light for Frankie, read the first reading at the Mass (above).
A buffet was held after Fr Frankie’s first Mass at St Vincent’s Parish Centre, which is just yards from the church.
The ordination service, on Saturday 13 July, was presided over by the Rt Rev Bishop Terence Brain – Bishop of Salford – and in the presence of the Rt Rev Mark Davis, Bishop of Shrewsbury.
It was a joint ordination as Frankie’s friend, Nathan Horne, was also ordained to the priesthood and so the cathedral was packed with nearly 800 people in attendance.
* All photos courtesy of Graham Sivills from Norden Studio
View more photos from this special occasion here
