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Part 2 Chapter 7: THE END OF AN ERA The autumn of 1976 heralded the demise of the old regime. After a ten-year spell as assistant, Fr. Brian Reynolds was appointed parish priest of St. Joseph, Bedwell, Stevenage. He had been chiefly concerned with the religious education of children in non-Catholic schools, the aspirations and needs of the young, and the problems of married couples. His going was widely regretted and felt like that of a close friend or a relative. Canon O'Sullivan had already signalled his intention to retire and made arrangements to take up residence at St. Edmund's presbytery, off the Hertford Road. He had by then been at his post 26 years, did not enjoy the best of health and had, in any event, reached the age at which priests today are encouraged to apply for their equivalent of the Chiltern Hundreds. His record was an impressive one; its highlights alone constitute quite an achievement:
In addition, the Canon was for many years a member of the Borough of Enfield Education Committee;
chairman of the managers of St. George's Primary School; a governor of St. Ignatius College, and of the Holy Family
Convent School. The Canon was, and in the main still is, electric. Twenty six years ago he came into the parish
like a ball of fire. There was no church, no presbytery, no parish hall, no secondary school. Now we have them
all — practically without debt. To do all this he made an act of faith and went straight in, working like a beaver.
He was a doer, always on the go, always busy, always dashing about — but not aimlessly, restlessly; no, it was
the reflection of his pastoral concern for the spiritual welfare of the souls entrusted to his care. What kind of priest was he? His mainspring was undoubtedly his deep spirituality. He never tired of urging us to seek strength in prayer and the sacraments. These things formed "the man within" who never talked of himself, who when quite ill would always answer an enquirer with "Fine, fine!" Children were his first love (they pulled his leg, they pulled his coat) and then the sick and the housebound, the bereaved, the poor — including the undeserving poor — even those in trouble with the law. All through his active years he was a champion of the Baden-Powell movement and spent many a summer holiday in camp with the scouts. He always had an ear to listen to personal problems and was a loving father to his flock. As well as a man of God he was very human in an endearing way. He could enjoy a good meal or a football match and lent his support (as spectator only) to Arsenal whose fortunes he followed. As soon as he was relieved by the arrival of his successor, he went quietly on his way but agreed
to look in a few weeks later to sound a more fitting retreat. This contribution to the following month's Newsletter
expresses his appreciation: The Canon was touched by the warmth of his reception and much enjoyed his brief stay with us in the cordial atmosphere which filled the Parish Centre on the memorable evening of the 23rd January. He would include in this acknowledgment the parishioners of Our Lady of Walsingham who sent him a cheque under separate arrangements". Although he had settled practically on the doorstep, from then on he was not often seen in the parish, and declined invitations to officiate at weddings or funerals, lest he appear to favour any particular families. For all that, he kept in touch; he would meet a former parishioner for a private lunch somewhere outside the area, and read up on what was happening at Our Lady's. Former members of his flock, for their part, welcomed opportunities to give proof of their abiding affection for him, such as the 50th anniversary of his Ordination, in July 1982. And the following year, there were those for whom the 25th anniversary of the opening of the church was an anticlimax when he let it be known that indifferent health would keep him away from the celebrations. During the following week, however, he was driven over for a private viewing of the plaque which had been erected to commemorate his work. He was delighted to learn that this gesture had not been clergy-inspired but had sprung up from the grass roots; and was moved to write this acknowledgement: "A big word of thanks for your great kindness in remembering me. And what a beautiful place you have put the plaque in — next to Our Lady's altar. I really do think that every church should have a big porch — I spent hours standing in it, seeing you all before and after the Masses — it could be that I got my dizziness there. Another 'must' for a church is a 'crying chamber' for the very young, built near the altar. Besides the church, you must remember that you built a beautiful hall and the C.M.A.C. offices. There is little point in having a church unless you have priests. I know as a parish you have done well but we need many more for the diocese — priests like you have with you now, full of prayer, hard work and vitality. In producing a priest, my own idea is that the father of the student plays just as important a part as the mother. As the boy grows, the subject of the Priesthood should often be mentioned, and in the family there must be a spirit of prayer, a lot of self-discipline and of course courtesy. My own father was a spoilt priest, two years in the Irish College in Paris. then becoming a doctor at the London Hospital, and then, with the help of my good mother, having three boys who all became priests and two girls who are nuns. Five out of five — not a bad record. Can you produce even one? You must really try. The other day I was out with Fr. Anthony Paris — his outlook on the Priesthood is magnificent. He believes that the priest should go visiting every day, especially the sick, the old and the children making their first Communions. Again, the priest should be seen very often in the schools, where he can do so much good. In his own class at St. Ignatius, besides himself, there are two others wanting to become priests — one for Enfield. This is what you have to do in Enfield so that the parish gives a good lead to the whole diocese, as it has been doing for years. I'm sure your priests will agree with all this, and might I say how very lucky you are to have them. God bless you all and many, many thanks for your kindnesses. Please remember to pray for me (I badly need your prayers) every day." It was to be his last letter. He died on 16th August (the day after the Feast of the Assumption). "His" scouts formed a guard of honour as his body was received at Our Lady's on the evening of 23rd August. Mass was celebrated to accommodate those who wanted to participate in the final leave taking, but whose business or other commitments prevented them from assisting at the Requiem Mass the following day, at which the Rt. Rev. Victor Guazzelli was the chief celebrant. Canon Herbert Veal, the previous parish priest, then on holiday from Sierra Leone, was among 40 priests in attendance. The Rev. Peter Morgan, Vicar of St. Andrew's, and the Rev. Peter Curry, the Methodist Minister, represented the other churches in Enfield. "Loved Priest Dies", the headline chosen by the Enfield Independent for Canon O'Sullivan's obituary, reflected a popularity which he had never sought; nothing he did was ever designed deliberately to make him loved. He was, as Fr. Brian Reynolds pointed out in his eulogy, above all a man of deep prayer without the outer trappings of piety. When he failed to answer the call to lunch, the other priests who went to investigate found him dead with, typically, his breviary open in front of him. Soon after coming to Enfield, Fr. Reynolds almost coshed him, mistaking him for a burglar when he was only following his normal routine of Stations, Rosary and an hour's prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament at about 5 am. He was also a man with a zest for life, not a dull conformist; he put his heart and soul into everything he did, never allowing routine to sap his liveliness. Next he was a man of deep humanity: always available to listen to those in trouble and to help
them financially, with a particular welcome to his fellow-priests and, despite his traditional views, to those
who had left the priesthood. If the congregation were to learn from the Canon to be people of prayer, with a zest for life, truly human and humble, Fr. Reynolds concluded, they would be erecting a better memorial to him even than their beautiful church. The Requiem Mass was followed by interment at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic cemetery, at Leytonstone.
Chapter 8: ANOTHER DOOR OPENS The news of Canon O'Sullivan's retirement was not swiftly followed by the announcement of a successor. In fact, information on the subject was unobtainable, and the suspicious minded could have been forgiven the impression that a veil of secrecy was being deliberately drawn across it. When its patience had worn thin, the Parish Council commissioned some of its members to seek clarification from Archbishop's House on their plans for filling the vacancy. Their efforts met with success and on 11th November 1976 the Hon. Sec. was able to advise councillors:
The new parish priest duly arrived, as promised. Canon Veal was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire in 1920, but at the age of eleven he moved to London,
where he was educated at St Vincent's, Mill Hill. On leaving school, he worked locally for some time before joining
the Metropolitan Police at Hendon. He served in the Royal Navy for seven years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant
and gaining the Distinguished Service Cross. On demobilization he studied for the teaching profession at St Mary's
Training College and the Bath Academy from 1947 until 1950. He was posted to the Cardinal Vaughan School, Kensington,
but left after two years to enter the Beda College, in Rome, to study for the priesthood. After his Ordination
in 1956 he was appointed to Northfields as assistant priest, then transferring to Westminster Cathedral to become
deputy headmaster of the Choir School. He was promoted headmaster, in which capacity he served from 1961 to 1966.
when he became chairman of the Westminster Schools Commission. While retaining the chairmanship of the commission
he was given the difficult task of dealing with the problem of the religious education of Catholic children in
non-Catholic schools. Business "under new management" started off in festive mood. It was Yuletide and one
of the earliest items on the agenda was the Christmas Dinner, which that year was attended by 87 elderly and housebound
special guests and turned out to be the Lady Day — The Feast of the Annunciation — brought the episcopal ordination of Dom Basil Hume O.S.B., as the 9th Archbishop of Westminster. The Rt. Rev. Philip Harvey, O.B.E., the newly ordained area bishop of North London, made a visitation and administered Confirmation on Sunday, 8th May, the date previously earmarked for an appeal on behalf of the Crusade of Rescue, which he formerly had in his special care as administrator. In response to the Cardinal's request for the loan of money held on deposit by parishes to help to ease Westminster's financial difficulties, Enfield made an interest-free loan until the end of the year of £5,000. The appeal raised over £680,000, in addition to which almost £70,000 was received in donations to the Capital Repayment Fund, plus close on £20,000 in gifts to the Cardinal. The Queen's Silver Jubilee was observed, as part of a borough programme, by a Civic Service in St Andrew's Parish Church on Sunday, 5th June, at 6.30pm. A television relay linked the church with the Great Hall of the Grammar School to enable 1,000 people to take part in the service, which was followed by a reception and refreshments in the Vicarage gardens. Canon Veal, who was away at a Katimavik weekend, had been persuaded by Ministers of the other churches not to make a special return trip from Walmer for the occasion. A Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving had been celebrated at Our Lady & St. George at 10 30 that morning. The following month there was another 25th anniversary, that of Fr. John Harper-Hill in the priesthood. Bishop Harvey was the principal concelebrant at a Jubilee Mass at 7.00pm on Saturday 23rd July. It was rounded off with a "little party" in the Parish Centre. Church and liturgy were placed under the microscope, and parishioners approached for their views and comments. These extracts from a paper submitted at the time illustrate the impressions of the congregation in the mid-Seventies: The church is a basically Romanesque structure, well-lighted, well furnished and beautifully maintained. The general impression is of a building aseptic, not lived-in, not easy to pray in. A Romanesque church offers large areas of wall space, normally covered with frescoes which bring colour and warmth to the severe lines. The lines of the church lead the eye to the sanctuary which, because of the absence of a west window, again offers areas of blank wall, accentuated by the great space above the arch. Originally the impression of blankness was mitigated by the presence of the tabernacle, altar and flanking wood arcading as well as the tall central structure with its coloured curtains and crucifix. The tabernacle, altar and arcading have been removed, the curtains are faded, and the crucifix is neither realistic nor artistic, a construction on which neither mind nor eye can dwell. The building needs an accession of warmth and colour and life, not as a product of an indoor decorator but through imagination and liturgical significance. The tabernacle should be restored to the west wall. In a cathedral a small secluded chapel is appropriate for private prayer. Our church has a chapel and the present position of the tabernacle savours rather of relegation than devotion. The recent decision to utilise the redundant baptistry as a bookshop is most welcome. If Baptism is brought out of a remote corner into the centre of the church, why not the Blessed Sacrament? The Mass is celebrated in our church in general in an unhurried, devotional and devotion-inspiring way. Canon Veal's careful and bringing-out-the-meaning enunciation and his ample symbolical gestures are a source of happiness to more than one parishioner. Nevertheless: opportunities for silent prayer — after the bidding prayers, for example, and recollection following Communion should not be brushed aside or brusquely curtailed, as if any pause in the flow of words were a source of constraint. The people should join the priest in the Per Ipsum. The conclusion of the Mass in the new style seems to me over abrupt: a brief post-communion verse (not always audible); no Placeat Tibi; no last Gospel; no Prayer for the Queen. These could be forgone if there were a general expression of gratitude as after any other meal. The Sermon: the demotion of the sermon in the modern Church has perhaps its gain in greater informality. But the Allocution-Homily-Instruction has its risks. The Priest and Prophet may be replaced by the headmaster or class teacher. A certain timid impersonality has crept in, together with an LCD estimate of the congregation. One misses a touch of imagination, a call on the emotions, an occasional memorable phrase, a reminiscence of something recently read or experienced, particulars rather than generalisations. (The above has not our church particularly in mind.) The Offerings: could the bread and wine be brought to the altar on Sundays as in the convent on Tuesday evenings by representatives of the congregation? The Kiss of Peace: I am glad that this ceremony has been accepted by our people without demur. It ensures that everyone actually looks at one or two fellow-worshippers and may even — God help us! — smile. The Social Church: this brings up the question of the dreadful anonimity of the worshipper in large congregations like ours, with six Saturday/Sunday Masses. The House Mass is only a part — I think a small part — of the answer. Could the parish be divided into areas of a suitable size with an annual Mass exclusively for each, followed by a supper/social in the Parish Centre for each? Celebrations: which leads to the topic of Special Occasions. Christmas and Easter bring large and enthusiastic congregations. The rest of the year is largely a celebratory desert. "The Seven teenth Sunday of the Year" quickens no pulse beats. Our ancestors did better than this. So do Anglicans and Free Churchmen. Aren't we missing out? Missionary Sunday? Harvest Festival? Anniversary Sunday? And our own traditional Catholic commemorations? An ad hoc committee considered the points raised and made recommendations, such as the occasional use of Latin in the Mass. "Vatican II, after all, did not scrap it and, despite all the innovations of the last two decades, it remains the Church's universal language, a powerful factor binding Catholics from many parts of the world. It is frequently used in Rome and is in daily use in Westminster Cathedral. It would be a pity therefore if we allowed our knowledge of it to die out through prolonged disuse." A box was provided to receive suggested bidding prayers; posters were prepared with the text of Responsorial Psalms; and votive candles were introduced. These had not so far been allowed (to meet insurance requirements). Another matter receiving attention was the reorganisation of the Parish Centre and social club management in the light of diocesan guidelines and of expert legal advice. As a preliminary step the Parish Centre and its management were placed under the aegis of the Parish Council. Later, a constitution was drawn up which emphasized that the new 'set-up' was a centre, not a club, whose aims were to provide a community building for all needs: faith, friends, fun; and to raise funds for top priorities — starving people and the parish. Membership of it was to be open to parishioners and their wives or husbands, and others up to one fifth of the centre's membership. And its management was to be in the hands of a committee elected at the AGM, with responsibility for literally everything, whereas in the past various tasks were distributed among several committees. In September the death was recorded of Canon John F. Marriott, a former parish priest and Canon O'Sullivan's predecessor. The February 1978 issue of St Andrew's parish magazine carried an article from the Vicar, the Rev. Peter Morgan, stating:
A rumour that the former Florida picture-house was to be put on the market prompted Canon Veal to discuss with the owners the possibility of converting the building into a day-centre. These talks broke down, however, when it became known that the proprietors had development plans of their own. In July preliminary steps were taken to help parishioners living in the Bush Hill Park area to overcome the problem of getting to Sunday Mass caused by the week-end closure of the Lincoln Road level crossing. The governors and headmistress of the Holy Family Convent School were approached for permission to use the school's Main Avenue annexe as a Mass centre for a trial period, subject to the education authority's agreement. This was given a few weeks later, and services were started on Sunday, 17th September. At about the same time news was received that the next phase in the extension of the Holy Family Convent School had been included in the official school building plans. This development was marked with a gift from parish funds of £2,000 to add to a similar contribution from the Sisters and one of £1,000 from the school. The end of August brought the first of the year's papal elections — that of John Paul I, whose reign was to last barely one month. That of John Paul II followed on 16th October. In conjunction with the Westminster Adult Religious Education Centre, the London Borough of Enfield included in its 1978-79 education programme a course of talks and discussions for adults at the Cowper Centre, Southbury Road, on The Old Testament, as the first of a three-part series devoted to The History of Christianity. The motivation for organising it came from the success which had met a similar course — Commandments 76-77 - at Kingsmead School. That drew over 60 enrolments, and attendances never fell below 50 (some came from as far as Waltham Cross and Tottenham, and often had to use public transport). Stuart Gullan-Steel arrived at the end of September, "fresh from the New World", to spend a year in preparation for the priesthood and recommence the studies which he had briefly interrupted. On 28 April, 1979 the parish took part in a holiday outing by special train to York, organised by the Enfield churches. Two days later Christina Percopo took up her duties as Parish Secretary. On Whit Sunday, 3rd June, Bishop Harvey ordained Stuart Gullan-Steel deacon and administered the sacrament to over 30 Confirmation candidates. On 10th June, Sister Beata, of the Holy Family Convent, celebrated her golden jubilee as a religious. Christ's assurance "Where two or three are gathered together in my name there I am in their midst" inspired by introduction on 11th September of '2 or 3', a programme of ten weekly sharings aimed at deepening the faith and loving God a bit more, and based on discussions of one of the themes taken from 'Your Faith.' The London Borough of Enfield included in its adult education programme 1979-80 part 2 of the History of Christianity: The New Testament. The Vicar, the Rev. David Brooker, and his people extended an invitation to the parish clergy to celebrate Mass on Sundays at 11.30am in St. Mark's Church, Bush Hill Park, commencing on 7th October. The arrangement was to become a permanent and much appreciated facility and a practical example of ecumenical cooperation. A special Week of Renewal, from 19th to 23rd November, was organised to let "the Holy Spirit
make us new and unite us all, whatever church we attend." The introductory talk was given by Fr. Michael Hollings,
M.C., M.A., parish priest of Southall, a former chaplain to Oxford University and adviser to Independent The year 1980 opened with an invitation from the Sisters to join them in their chapel for Liturgical Prayers said by them daily (except Sundays) from 6.15 to 6.30pm. February brought the signing of the covenant by representatives from the six churches participating in the newly formed Local Ecumenical Project (see section on Ecumenism). A Mission was held on the Tuesdays in Lent, with sermons during evening Mass by visiting preachers: Fr. Michael Barrow S.J., Fr. Michael Bailey S.J., Dom Edmund Jones O.S.B., and a vincentian Father. The Cardinal paid a brief visit on Sunday, 18th May, celebrated the 10.30 Mass and met parishioners in the Centre. A week later, on Whit Sunday, Bishop Harvey administered Confirmation. On Saturday, 28th June, Stuart Gullan-Steel returned to the parish, at his own request, for his Ordination to the Priesthood. In July the parishioners were given the prospect of a much cosier winter when it was announced that a new central heating system was being installed. On 20th September the Enfield churches ran their second holiday outing by special train to Bath/Bristol. The Borough Adult Education programme of talks and discussions included part 3 of the History of Christianity: The Church. Preparations were then going ahead all over England and Wales for the National Pastoral Congress which was to be held in Liverpool later that year. The dioceses and the Church organisations were to be represented by over 2,000 delegates; Westminster's share — in excess of 200 — included one from Enfield, Mary Newman, who appealed to her fellow parishioners to prime her with their ideas, concerns or suggestions which they felt ought to receive attention. Undismayed by the disappointing outcome of his talks on the Florida building conversion two years earlier, Canon Veal unveiled a plan to set up a house for the homeless in Enfield, various ways and means being considered to raise funds for the purchase and running of such an establishment. St. Patrick's Day 1981 was of special significance to the Canon; it was the 25th anniversary of his Ordination — a great occasion which was celebrated in style.
Several months earlier the Canon asked the Planned Giving Committee to take over all financial matters in the parish. After much discussion the committee agreed, with the approval of the Parish Council, subject to preserving the discretion of the parish priest and his final responsibility in accordance with the law of the Church. The committee was enlarged by the addition of a representative of the Parish Centre Management Committee and two parishioners with considerable financial knowledge. It would take decisions when requested by the parish priest, and advise him on matters on which he would wish to make the final decision. In response to the Cardinal's appeal for diocesan priests to go out and spend some time working in the mission field, the Canon offered himself for service and was accepted. Accordingly, arrangements were made for him to hand over the parish on 1st September. His departure from Gatwick airport was fixed for Sunday 13th September. Parishioners' leave-taking in the Parish Centre went on for hours. The Canon's farewell message read:
Chapter 9: OF LATTER YEARS
He lost no time in taking the wraps off his plans for the term of his stewardship. In his first contribution to the Newsletter he wrote:
An exhibition and sale of oil and water colour paintings, drawings and sketches by Fr. John Harper-Hill at the Parish Centre on Saturday, 12th December added a welcome touch of colour to the tail end of the year, and was a great success in spite of weather which was more in keeping with a Turner blizzard scene. After deducting expenses, the House of Light and the Third World in Need each benefited by £120. A crisis arose at this time in the field of catechetics. Whilst more and more importance had in recent years been attached to the religious instruction of children and adults, responsibility for the preparation for first Confession, first Holy Communion and Confirmation had been transferred from the Catholic school to the parish as a whole,with parents being involved in accordance with the obligation they took on at the child's baptism. The new requirement called for closer cooperation, not only between parish and school but also between RE teachers/catechists and parents, often causing complications and strained relationships. At this juncture the coordinator of the parish catechetics team was, for health reasons, obliged to choose between this voluntary work and her paid employment. The solution suggested was the appointment of a paid parish catechist — a position then commanding somewhere in the region of £6,000 per annum. The matter was considered by the Parish Council on 21st April. The minutes show that
Fr. Wahle undertook to consider the different views put forward, and perhaps get in touch with the diocesan catechetical centre to see whether its earlier offer of assistance still stood and, if so, on what terms. No salaried catechetical officer was appointed but successive assistant priests became closely involved in this pastoral activity. Following the parish priest's openly stated intention to trust his parishioners and delegate work, decisions and responsibility to them, the Parish Council 'set-up' was put under close scrutiny to examine ways of making it reflect a wide spectrum of views.
After receiving an unexpected windfall at Christmas from an art exhibition and sale, the Third World in Need Group reached a milestone on Wednesday 21st April. On the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the Parish Council decided that day to allocate 5% of income from offertory collections to the Third World — thus guaranteeing a minimum of some £2,500 annually for the overseas poor, compared with about £1,800 collected by the group the previous year. It meant that everyone would henceforth be involved regularly in overseas aid, not just the relatively small band of contributors hitherto. It meant that in future the group's assistance could be realistically planned in advance and would not depend on an irregular and uncertain income. It meant, further, that new commitments could be taken on — assisting Canon Veal in Sierra Leone, for example — without depriving those who had been receiving help in the past. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, it represented the acknowledgement of the parish's obligation as a community to the needs of communities elsewhere within the 'Global Village.' The year's highlight was, of course, the Pope's visit to Britain. Here, the Lenten services played a special part in the spiritual preparations; the Thursday Holy hours were continued after Easter and a Novena led up to the arrival date. In the evening of Friday, 28th May there was a service at St. George's Cathedral, Southwark, for the sick, handicapped disabled and dying, which a number of parishioners attended. On Saturday, 29th May, the Pope celebrated Mass in Wembley Stadium for priests and representatives of all the parishes in the Westminster and Southwark provinces. Enfield was allocated about 280 tickets, of which 40 were offered to other local Churches, 20 were distributed at Fr. Wahle's absolute discretion, and 220 were drawn by ballot. It was a proud and heartening moment when a parishioner/seminarian, Anthony Paris, appeared very much in evidence among the officiating clergy. For the Sunday morning Mass celebrated at Coventry airport in the Pope's presence, approximately 56 places were made available in a coach — as a consolation prize — to parishioners whose name was drawn in the ballot after the Wembley places had been exhausted. On Monday 31st — when the Pope was in Liverpool — Fr. Wahle took part in a discussion of the Papal Visit with the Very Rev. John Arnold, Dean of Rochester, in a programme broadcast live on Radio West Berlin. A special event at Cardiff on Wednesday, 2nd June for the 16-25 age group attracted 15 members of the congregation. July brought the 50th anniversary of the Ordination of Canon O'Sullivan, parish priest 1950-1976 and went some way towards filling the gaps left in the priestly ranks by his and similar retirements. On 4th, Anthony Paris was raised to the diaconate. On 10th Joe Farrell was ordained priest by Bishop Alan Clark for the diocese of East Anglia. And on 13th Paul Quinn was ordained priest at Ruislip, returning to Enfield on 29th to celebrate Mass for the parish into whose many activities he had thrown himself with energy and enthusiasm during a five months' stay. There was a wealth of generosity from parishioners in response to an appeal for Time and Talent offering, and a prompt start made on a follow-up operation; for instance: Fr. Hill began teaching meditation to a group of 6. Those offering help with the sick etc. or for baby-sitting were put in touch with Meet-a-Need with Christian Care, the S.V.P. or the Wednesday Club (who were planning to organise a baby-sitting scheme). Those who expressed a desire for help in prayer or for further study of Bible or Faith were contacted in writing. CMAC counsellors came to explain what counselling involves. A course for Confirmation catechists was arranged on a deanery basis. On Christmas Day, some of the Eucharistic Ministers in the Holtwhites Hill area went out from the 9.30 Mass to take Communion to 22 patients in Chase Farm Hospital. On Christmas Eve one of them had visited all the wards of this very large hospital to find out which of the Catholics wanted to receive Communion. It was hoped that this service, which was suggested by one of the Ministers, would become a regular feature. In February 1983 plans were announced for a full census of the parish — the first, apparently, for over 20 years — in which every household and flat would be called on to enquire if any Catholics lived there, the main purpose being to discover those Catholics who were too shy or too hurt or too bitter to make the first move by themselves. With 400 streets to cover, the intention of sending callers out in pairs made the exercise a demanding one in terms of manpower. Many, however, took up the challenge, overcame their natural fear and went visiting. Some even decided to go a step further and invited those they had met to their homes for a chat or a house-Mass. The period 25th March 1983 — 22nd April 1984 was declared a Holy Year, to mark the 1950th anniversary of Redemption, give Catholics the opportunity to come to a better understanding of the mystery of Redemption, which is continually celebrated and relived in the Church, and revive an awareness of Christ's special graces. The year was opened in London with 7.30pm Mass at Westminster Cathedral on the Feast of the Annunciation. On Palm Sunday, 27th March, Bishop Donald Coggan, retired Archbishop of Canterbury, was guest preacher at the 10.30 Mass. On Saturday, 14th May, at 12.30pm, Anthony Paris was ordained priest by Bishop Victor Guazzelli. The ceremony was followed by a reception at the Holy Family Convent. The parish organised a pilgrimage to the Cathedral on 5th June as part of the Holy Year celebrations. Plenary Indulgences were granted to the faithful visiting it in place of the Roman Basilicas. The traditional service for the inauguration of the new Mayor's term of office was held at Our Lady's on Sunday 10th July and was conducted by Fr. Michael Barrow S.J., whom the Mayor, Councillor John Wyatt, had invited to be his chaplain. A Novena of prayer to Our Lady, begun on 8th July, led up to the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Church. August brought news of Canon O'Sullivan's death (16th) and the observance of his burial rites (24th). The Northern Area parishes, gathered at Turkey Street for their Area Day on 8th October, discussed a 3-year pastoral plan based on the suggested themes:
Bishop Harvey, meeting his Area priests on 18th October, urged all parishes to provide penitents with the opportunity of making their confession face-to-face with the priest as well as in the traditional manner. Three members of the Catholic Missionary Society, Fr. John Joe Spring, from the Salford diocese, Fr. Jim Nicholas and Fr. Tim O'Connor, from Westminster, held a Mission from 6th to 20th November. Their first week was spent visiting, making themselves known, getting to know the parishioners and feeling the lie of the land, the second was devoted to the preaching part, which was provided from Monday to Saturday at 10.00am, from Monday to Friday at 8.00pm and at all Sunday Masses. A few months after Canon Veal's departure a committee was formed to look at the interior of the church and consider whether any of its features could or should be improved, bearing in mind the changes made to the architect's original designs, such as the raising of the sanctuary floor, the resiting of the high altar and the tabernacle, the removal of the tester and the ornamental woodwork on either side of the sanctuary and the transformation of the baptistry into a repository and bookshop. In February 1984, following protracted consultations with diocesan and other art experts, the decision was made known to concentrate on the Blessed Sacrament chapel, whose rear wall it was proposed to cover with a mosaic. Three alternative designs were produced and exhibited so that parishioners could select the one which appealed to them most. Questionnaires were distributed to canvas as wide a range of views as possible. Those in favour felt that the mosaic would be a thing of beauty, something everyone could enjoy, and that the money spent on it — an estimated £900 — would not last a moment for the poor, who were already provided for anyway by yearly collections all over the country. Of those against, some were guided by charitable considerations (... raise money for the poor overseas, especially Canon Veal or the Third World) while others looked at the matter from an aesthetic viewpoint (... a mosaic would spoil the simple beauty of the church ... the introduction of colour would distract from the tabernacle ... it would upset the balance and harmony of the church which was very pleasant). The proposals were quietly dropped and apart from the mandatory sanctuary changes, the interior of the church remains very much the way the architect planned it, except for certain features of the lighting system. One modest addition was the set of stained glass windows installed above the confessional by the late Susan F. Timoney, a former teacher at the Holy Family Convent School, in memory of a friend. On Sunday, 24th June at 3.00pm the Corpus Christi procession made its way for the first time outside the church grounds, walking along Cecil Road, Sydney Road, The Town and London Road, and ending in the Convent grounds for Benediction. On the previous Tuesday, the Cardinal paid a visit to the parish, his first since the opening of the Holy Family Convent School extension, celebrated Mass and commissioned an additional number of Eucharistic ministers. At the Parish Council meeting of 28th June, which was devoted to a discussion of the future of the parish, and was thrown open to representatives of all parish organisations, members and guests took a close look at the Parish Council set-up. Few parishioners, it was felt, were aware of its functions or were able to identify its members, making it difficult for them to raise matters. Not only communication but also coordination was lacking. But for all that the Council was considered to serve a useful purpose as a bridge between clergy and laity. The priests themselves thought it should play not only an advisory but also an initiatory role. There was a consensus in favour of the Parish Council remaining in existence, with the proviso that its composition be based on representation from organisations or on geographical location or on participation at a particular Sunday Mass. The working party set up to give further consideration to the comments raised and to take a wider view at the way ahead submitted their proposals in January 1985. They went far beyond a mere restructuring of the Parish Council and sought to strengthen and build up the parish itself. The scheme, approved by the Parish Council, was basically to divide the parish into 52 neighbourhoods — clusters of 8 or so streets — and to have in each someone acting as neighbourhood contact. The intention was to launch it after Easter, close to St. George's Day, and to place it under the parish patron's protection. In July came a return to Communion under both kinds, a general practice in the early Church which had gradually dropped out for a variety of reasons. From December, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on the first Friday of each month was introduced by Fr. Harper-Hill, with the purpose of loving, adoring and thanking Jesus in His Eucharistic presence. Each Friday the devotion was given a special intention, initially: world peace; unity among Christians; the hungry; the grace of repentance; unbelievers; the protection of the Mother of God; children preparing for their first Holy Communion; peace and love in the family; and school leavers. On the last Sunday in November the 9.15 Mass was geared more to the whole family than to just the children, and was followed by an opportunity for members of the congregation to meet over light refreshments in the Parish Centre. It was planned to have a Family Mass at monthly intervals. From time to time the parish secretary publishes a list of organisations which, informative and helpful though it is, lacks the human touch — some faces to put to the many names. An opportunity to fill this gap was provided at the weekend of 18th/ 19th January 1986 with an exhibition in the Parish Centre illustrating the work of the laity. It achieved its publicity and public relations aims and was all the more creditable for the breakneck speed with which it had been organised. It created an atmosphere of happiness and, on his own admission, filled the parish priest with pride. The climax was the 6.30 Mass on the Sunday with the re-dedication of the whole parish to God. A course on The Catholic Faith was laid on to help parishioners to deepen and refresh their faith and equip them to pass on their knowledge to others. It ran for 17 weeks, from April to October with a summer break, and its subjects were covered by the parish clergy: Fr. Wahle, Fr. Winter. Fr. Harper-Hill, Fr. Joyce, assisted by guest speakers Fr. Keith Barltrop, Fr. Michael Shaw, Fr. David Williamson and Peter and Francia Kilgarriff. On 10th April the last chapter was reached in the long-running Parish Council saga, with the unanimous adoption of two motions: that the Parish Council as it now stands be disbanded, leaving all existing committees intact and retaining their current functions, in the interim period reporting to the parish priest direct instead of the Parish Council; and that Fr. Wahle be asked to appoint six persons to draw up guidelines for a general parish meeting in September. Those guidelines, it was suggested, should propose ways of holding elections and limitations as to the length of members' service. Some of those going into retirement had attended meetings for 18 years (had they been in H.M. Forces, they would have come close to qualifying for a Long Service & Good Conduct medal!). An open meeting for all parishioners followed on 14th October as a run-up to the process of nominating and electing new councillors. (The vision of so large an attendance as to call for the transfer of the meeting to the church remained a pipe dream). The inaugural session of the new Council was held on 2nd December. One of the activities in March 1987 was the disposal of surplus Common Market beef stocks, which was undertaken in the local area by the parish and master minded largely by the Parish Council. The operation involved the commodity's collection from central stores, its cooking, packing and distribution to those eligible for it, including those on supplementary benefit, family income support and other groups of people who were either homeless, living in hostels, attending feeding centres, receiving meals on wheels or very disadvantaged in other ways. A total of some 43 cases of meat ranging from rump to sirloin and weighing something over one ton were handled and delivered to around 3,000 souls. The cooking was successfully carried out "thanks to the kind and sterling services of Miss Peggy Jones and of the Southgate Round Table association." The packaging was in the capable hands of a band of willing helpers from Our Lady & St. George's, St. Andrew's and the Baptist Church. The distribution was carried out by a large group of parishioners, St. George's Scout Troop and Knights of St. Columba. Fr. Harper-Hill held another exhibition and sale of his paintings — in oil, acrylic and watercolour — on 9th May and shared the proceeds among the H.C.P.T., the Third World Group and the L.E.P.'s St. Paul's Centre project. Fr. Brian Reynolds, who served the parish for a decade as assistant to Canon O'Sullivan, returned on the evening of Monday 1st June to offer the 8pm Mass and allow parishioners to take part in celebrating the 25th anniversary of his Ordination. Later that week he wrote
As part of the special celebrations, each diocesan bishop was authorized to designate a church and shrine dedicated to Our Lady as a place of pilgrimage. Of the sixty-seven parishes in Westminster with such a dedication fourteen are in the Northern area, and from these Bishop Harvey selected one for each deanery, Our Lady & St. George being chosen for the Enfield deanery. On 22nd November, the Holy Father beatified another 85 English, Scottish and Welsh martyrs who for the sake of conscience and religious faith laid down their lives at a time of intense religious conflict. The year 1987 was the 25th anniversary of two significant landmarks, the opening of the Second Vatican Council, in Rome, and the founding of CAFOD, in Britain.
A number of parishioners expressed a wish to keep a weekly Holy Hour with the Blessed Sacrament exposed as a way of preparing for the parish mission and also to meet devotional needs of many who would like to pray for peace, for the Church and for the many urgent needs of the world, including personal ones. The devotion, to take place every Friday from 8 to 9pm, was introduced on 10th June, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, but later transferred to Thursdays. On Saturday, 25th June at 4.30pm, the Cardinal presided at the priestly Ordination of John Conneely. To the imaginary question "What do you think of it so far?', Fr. Wahle, taking a bird's eye view at the first half of 1988, wrote:
And yet none of those had been designated the 1988 Project. That honour had been reserved for the Parish Mission in November. During the first week, from Monday 7th to Saturday 12th, the missioners, Fr. Chris Gaffney, Fr. Jim McManus, Fr. Geoff Wilkins and Fr. Mark Anderson, all Redemptorists, and the priests of the parish visited parishioners' homes and said house Masses at 17 addresses. During the second week the missioners preached at all Sunday and weekday Masses at Our Lady's, at Holtwhites Hill and St. Mark's. They also preached at all Masses on Sunday 6th. A closer look was taken at the plans to replace the church organ. A new instrument suited to the church would cost around £150,000; the cheapest kind of pipe organ (supplying a limited range of music) would be £50,000; but professional advice was that a computer organ, giving a beautiful tone and a wide variation in music, was available for £27,500. To demonstrate its potentialities the makers set one up for 6th January, 1989, the Feast of the Epiphany. Philip Jakob, Director of Music at St. Ignatius College, played it at 6.30pm and the parish organist, Michael Hennin, played it at the 8pm Mass; and the makers' consultant was available afterwards to show the instrument and answer questions. No decision was reached at that stage; but an Organ Fund was started with a £1,000 legacy. A party of 40 nuns and layfolk went on pilgrimage to Rome to assist at the beatification of Frances Siedliska, Mother Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd, the Foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The ceremony, which took place in St. Peter's Square on St. George's Day, was followed by a sightseeing tour of the Eternal City, taking in St. Peter's, the Vatican museums, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and the Gesu, the Jesuits' main church in Rome, St. Ignatius' last resting place, in which is also venerated the arm of St. Francis Xavier. The pilgrims completed their tour with a visit to the shrine of St. Francis and St. Clare at Assisi, and to Loreto, Italy's equivalent to some extent of Lourdes. There was a sequel on 23rd July when Bishop Harvey concelebrated a Mass in honour of the Beatification and a reception in the Parish Centre gave parishioners and others who had travelled from far and wide a chance to share in this outstanding occasion. At the Cardinal's express wish the period from the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (25th May) until the Sunday after the Feast the following year (17th June) was declared a Year of the Eucharist, in which all were invited to pay special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Parishes were encouraged to set their own programmes. A Triduum was held in the parish in preparation by Fr. Michael O'Brien, who celebrated Mass and preached on 22/23/24 May. A number of parishioners, led by Fr. Gerard Joyce, made a pilgrimage to Lough Derg from 26th to 30th June, staying overnight at the Convent of Mercy, Carysfort College, Blackrock on both their outward and homeward journeys. With 900 or so others they joined in a three-day fast, deprived themselves completely and continuously for 24 hours of sleep and entered fully into the penitential exercises and the spiritual challenges on which the pilgrimage is built. On the evening of 19th July Fr. William Wilby, the assistant priest, celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving to observe the 25th anniversary of his Ordination. The Rt. Rev. Philip Harvey, the Area Bishop, celebrated the 50th anniversary of his Ordination. The Catholic Children's Society, successor to the Crusade of Rescue, with which he had been associated for many years as administrator, launched an appeal to finance the establishment of a family centre — to be known as Harvey House — which would keep his name alive and serve to fill a pastoral gap by strengthening and supporting family life through the provision of help to children and their families. The House of Light group made a donation of £10,000. In 1190 the Benedictine Monastery of (Saffron) Walden founded the parish of St. Andrew's and appointed "Robertus" the first "Vicarius de Enefelde". The 800th anniversary of the introduction of Christian worship and witness was taken as the focal point for year-long celebrations, which gave parishioners of Our Lady & St. George an opportunity to forge even closer links with their neighbours, many taking part in arranging and running several of the items on the programme. Cardinal Hume, a Benedictine monk like the founders of St. Andrew's, accepted an invitation to take part in the celebrations, creating with his attendance on the evening of 3rd November a double first: for himself it was the first time he offered Mass in an Anglican church, and for St. Andrew's it was the first Mass celebrated there since the Reformation. On Sunday, 24th June, Fr. Francis Wahle and Fr. James Wooloughan kept the 25th anniversary of their Ordination. The celebrations opened with a Mass of Thanksgiving at 3.00pm and continued with a gathering of the "family" in the Parish Centre for a presentation and suitable jollifications. The first Westminster Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes took place between 21st and 28th July. The leaders of the Christian Churches declared the last ten years of the century a Decade of Evangelisation; in connection with it, the Bishops of England and Wales recommended three steps for all Catholics:
In May, Councillor John Jackson was succeeded as Mayor by Councillor John Wyatt, who invited Fr. Francis Wahle to be Mayor's Chaplain. The Civic Service was held at Our Lady's at 3.00pm on Sunday, 16th June in the presence of local dignitaries, councillors, officers and representatives of organisations based in the Enfield area. Belatedly but appropriately a traditional statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was installed in the church on 21st July — the Sunday after the Patronal Feast — when it was formally blessed during the 6.30pm Mass in front of a crowded congregation. A notable feature of the statue is the Brown Scapular, whose history and devotional values are well known. The occasion recalled a less well known fact: St. John Bosco was buried wearing his Scapular in 1888 and in 1929 it was found in perfect preservation under the decomposing garments and remains. The original suggestion for this statue came from Sr. Scholastica more than a year earlier. The project was then taken up by a small group of dedicated parishioners and was made possible by the generosity of two others, one of whom purchased the statue whilst the other provided the altar cloths. The stone statue which was removed from Our Lady's altar was really an outdoor type. After canvassing parishioners' views and considering the alternative sites suggested, it was mounted on the lawn outside the Presbytery and facing London Road, thus returning it to almost the exact spot in which one of the First Communicants used to crown a smaller version during the Corpus Christi procession. Chapter 10: CHANGING BOUNDARIES Twice in less than twenty years the parish map had to be redrawn. In 1964 an area, bordered to
the south by Windmill Hill and Slades Hill, and to the east by Chase
The scenario which unfolded before the diocesan authorities held two salient points: first, the
closing of the Crusade of Rescue home deprived the parish priest of the free board and lodgings and the stipend
which the Crusade supplied to him. Even when numbers at Mass were at their maximum they were too small to support
a priest without the invaluable Crusade help. And second, the old building, which was diocesan property and included
the church, was in urgent need of complete structural renovation, the cost of which would be far beyond the resources
of the parish or These were "the main considerations, as Bishop Harvey was to stress, which led to the decision that Holtwhites Hill should no longer be a parish but return to its parent, Our Lady and St. George." A planning sub-committee set up by the Holtwhites Hill Parish Council, issued its interim report on 20th March 1980. It acknowledged that, given the facts detailed above, "the parish will no longer be financially viable, at least for the foreseeable future"; welcomed the suggestion of providing a Chapel of Ease in the area "as offering the most satisfactory solution for at least the short to medium term"; and went on to suggest possible places for this chapel on the site. The latter lay in mixed ownership; part belonged to the Crusade, part to the diocese, whose finances were at that time in such dire straits that there was a constant search for opportunities to improve them. The Crusade's decision to sell led the diocese to consider disposing of its portion of the land as it seemed logical to assume that a larger site would produce a better price. In the late summer of 1981 Fr. Ralph Eastwell S.J. was attached to the parish of Our Lady & St. George and moved into the presbytery. "As well as work in the church here", he wrote, "I have been given special responsibility for the Holtwhites Hill area and am steadily working my way round the houses there and trying to maintain the community spirit which grew up when it was a separate parish." Fr. Eastwell convened a meeting, at which a small committee was set up to ensure the continuity of a Mass centre in the area. Having by then experienced the strong community ties and the enthusiasm and tireless efforts of the committee members, he felt encouraged to approach the diocesan authorities through Bishop Harvey to try to obtain the reversal of their plan to sell. The Bishop's answers to the planning committee's report had somehow failed to reach the Holtwhites Hill Parish Council. Fr. Eastwell's visit gave him the chance to re-state them:
Bishop Harvey subsequently visited Our Lady of Walsingha to meet the community, when he promised to investigate the possibility of retaining some of the land or providing some other means of keeping a Mass centre or at best a Chapel of Ease. In October the sale of the land to Percy Bilton had been finalized, except for a plot containing the old church building and sufficient space for 20 cars. The sale of the diocesan land realized £156,000. The original intention had been to use this money to put the existing building into good and safe working order. But it was later found that the building was not sound and would require considerably more restructuring than at first envisaged; which disposed of this particular option. The other options were to erect a new, single-storey, multi-purpose building either on the existing plot or on a slightly different one. Fr. Eastwell meanwhile returned to Turkey Street, and Fr. Marcus Winter took over from him. Negotiations with Biltons were slow, and eventually they sold the site to Laing Homes plc, with whom Fr. Winter reached an agreement involving the exchange of sites, and abandoning the plan to provide facilities for the Walsingham Youth Club and accommodation for a priest. The target cost of the church was to be within the figure of £156,000 plus accrued interest. The parish of Our Lady & St. George agreed to meet the shortfall of £6,000; and the Holtwhites Hill committee raised funds for the internal furnishings. The architect responsible for the design was appointed by Laings; the architect retained to protect the parish interests was Mr. D.C. Gibbons, of the Plaskett-Marshall Partnership, of Chiswick High Road. The Crusade of Rescue Home was demolished in 1984; work on the new church was started in September 1986, a temporary building having been erected a couple of paces from the old one. Here Mass was celebrated for the first time on Advent Sunday. An enormous amount of physical work, planning and sorting lay behind the move, which was carried out so smoothly, efficiently and speedily that almost the only snag was that someone forgot to turn the heating down for the 11am Mass. Moving-in-day at the new church — "a substantially better building than we had ever dreamed of" — was Saturday, 11th July, when furniture, fixtures and fittings were transferred from the temporary building. The new church and its altar were blessed by Bishop Philip Harvey at the 11am Mass on Sunday, 19th July; and a promise made that when a permanent, stone, altar was acquired, it and the sanctuary part of the building would be consecrated. The pre-condition was met by the end of 1991 and the promise was kept by Bishop Vincent Nichols at 11am Mass on Saturday 25th April 1992. On 24th January 1978 a new parish was erected in the area, to be known as Enfield, Turkey Street, and entrusted to the care of the Society of Jesus. Its boundaries ran along the middle of Bullsmoor Lane, Bulls Cross, the New River, Cuffley Brook, Flash Lane, Clay Hill, Myddelton Aennue, Caterhatch Lane and Hertford Road. Mass celebrated by Bishop Harvey at St. Ignatius College at 7.30pm on 2nd June, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, marked the official opening of the parish. A decline in their numbers left the Jesuits no choice but to ask the diocesan authorities to relieve them of their charge. In consequence, on 1st September 1987 Turkey Street ceased being a parish, although it remained a Mass centre, albeit with fewer services. Part of its territory was added to Waltham Cross, the remainder reverting to the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel & St. George. The folk in the latter area were placed in the special care of Fr. Eastwell S.J., who accordingly took up residence at the presbytery as from the evening of 8th September. This version: 17th April 2005 |