Father Patrick van der Vorst gave up a successful career in the art world, including his home, his possessions and even his dog, to become a Catholic priest at 52.

Born in Bruges, he grew up attending mass and learned about monastic living at boarding school. His parents loved art and auctions, where you could touch as well as look, and he found himself torn between the art world and a religious calling.

He went on to become a director at Sotheby’s, specialising in 18th-century French furniture. In 2010 he appeared on Dragons’ Den and won a £100,000 investment from Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis, going on to launch the online valuation company ValueMyStuff.com, often called the “Antiques Roadshow online”. But he felt a growing sense of restlessness, sold the company and began training for the priesthood.

He was ordained a deacon in June 2022, and Cardinal Vincent Nichols ordained him a priest of the Diocese of Westminster at Westminster Cathedral in June 2023.

In this episode of The Profile, he talks to Premier’s Christianity Magazine journalist A J Gomez about the moment he gave up a successful business career, his upbringing in Bruges- “the Venice of the North”, and coming to the priesthood later in life.

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Released on 29 Oct 2026