Father William John Nicholson was born in Gateshead on 6th December 1917 and was ordained at Ushaw by Bishop McCormack on 26th July 1942. Afterordination he served as assistant priest at St. Augustine’s Darlington until 1945 when he moved to West Cornforth. In 1950 he moved to St. Mary’s Stockton and in 1951 to Prudhoe. In 1954 he moved again to St. Mary’s, Hexham and in 1955 to Thropton. In 1956 he went to St. Edward’s Whitley Bay where he remained until his first and only appointment as parish priest at Wittingham in September 1962.
There in addition to looking after the small parish he was chaplain to Lemmington Convent. He was also our representative on the National Liturgical Commission, compiling of the Ordo, editor of the Northern Catholic Calendar and for many years a leading figure in the flourishing North East Catholic History Society. He was also the Dean and one of the Diocesan Consultors. He died unexpectedly in St. Mary’s Presbytery, Wittingham probably early on the morning of the 4th March 1988.
The concelebrated Requiem Mass took place at St. Paul’s Church, Alnwick on Friday, 11th March followed by burial at Ainwick Cemetery.
May he rest in peace.