Father Mark is committed to offering high-quality support in the areas of pastoral and spiritual care covering Equality of Opportunities for LGBTQI and Mental Health within local sports. It may be a surprise to you, but sport is part of God's good gift of creation. Sure, human beings are the ones who invent sports, but where does our playfulness come from? The creativity, the desire for human relationships, and the instinctive desire to play that all people, of all ages, across all cultures have, are all part of what it means to be made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

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So are you a Christian who plays sports or are you a Christian in sports? That all depends on the way you play. Play hard, play fair, and play to his glory - after all, it is worship.

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In Christian theology, One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church is a phrase describing the nature of the Christian community and/or Christian Church, in the various meanings it has. It appears in the Nicene Creed (μίαν, ἁγίαν, καθολικὴν καὶ ἀποστολικὴν Ἐκκλησίαν) and appears partly in the Apostles' Creed ("the holy catholic church", sanctam ecclesiam catholicam).

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Leaving School Mark started working for Philip Ford & Son Funeral Directors in Stroud Gloucestershire, having also passed his test as an F.A. Football Referee in Stonehouse Gloucestershire at the age of 14 years old, Mark started refereeing every weekend seeking promotion to a Class 2 referee in the Stroud & District Football League. by the age of 18 Mark got his promotion after he started refereeing adult football securing his Class 1.

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In 2010 Father Mark was appointed Community Priest in Swindon Town Center, As a community priest Father Mark was no longer based within a church building, his work is now based around the LGBT Community conducting weddings and serving the Community as a non-stipend Priest, During the winter of 2011 Farther Mark started to minister to the homeless people of Swindon, Walking the streets Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 8 pm to 4 am feeding and clothing the homeless with the OCAC Homeless Support Group.

It was in 2011 that Father Mark Paris became known as Father Mark Paris-Haines after he married Chris Haines in Swindon on the 30th Day of September 2011, Right Rev Adrian Glover conducted the service in the Town Center that was witnessed by hundreds of people inside the building and outside.

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Father Mark Paris-Haines is a non-stipendiary working as an independent Priest working away from the mainstream churches but continues to offer the same services to the people of Swindon, Father Mark believes that the Church is the people and not buildings and the streets of Swindon is his parish. Since Father Mark Paris-Haines arrived in Swindon, Father Mark has been involved in and conducted a number of same sex marriages and has held the position as the Gay Community Chaplain since 2009, other services conducted have been baptisms, weddings, funerals, and weekly services for those that have been turned away from the mainstream church, Father Mark is not Judgemental on anyone’s life nor does he question their life styles, in the opinion of Father Mark everyone is entitled to attend church and be a part of a Christian Community Father Mark was Ordained as a Priest in the City of Cardiff on the 17th March 2007, and has worked in Grange Town in Cardiff, the City of Gloucestershire, Stroud in Gloucestershire and currently in the town of Swindon in Wiltshire. On the 10th November 2013 The Right Revd Dr. John A Bell, Bishop from the United States of America Bishop & Dean to the House of Bishops within the English Catholic Church conferred orders under the protection of Almighty God in St Michael’s Parish Swindon, Wiltshire in the United Kingdom did consecrate as Bishop, Mark Anthony Paris-Haines, although Father Mark holds the title of Bishop, Father Mark remains as a working priest in Swindon connecting with the people.

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Today!

Father Mark is still very active in and around Swindon, he is also refereeing in the district as well as sitting as the Referee Secretary for the Swindon & District League, Father Mark is a motivated and hard-working person. He is very effective in managing his time and coping well under pressure.

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