A priest from the East End of London, Msgr Armitage has spent decades working in evangelisation in the UK and is a popular Catholic speaker. He served as the Vicar General for the Diocese of Brentwood before serving as the Rector of the National Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham from 2014 to 2020. He now serves as parish priest of St Margaret's Canning Town and as the Master of the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom.