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History of the Parish |
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"ST JAMES THE GREAT" There are three people called James in the Gospels. The apostle we call James the Great was the son of Zebedee and one of the privileged three apostles, along with his brother John and Peter, present at the Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden. He was martyred by Herod early on, and tradition has it that his relics were afterwards taken to Santiago di Compostela in Spain. He is not the same person as the James who was "the Lord's brother" who presided over the Council in Jerusalem years afterwards and who is credited with the authorship of the Letter of James. Nor is he James the son of Alphaeus, another of the Twelve Apostles, ''the Less", but little is known of this one unless he is the same as James the brother of the Lord. There is plenty written on the subject. THE FOUNDER The church of St James the Great was built in 1904 from a bequest given by Miss Frances Ellis (1846-1930). She had become a Catholic in 1901 and lived a devout life following the spiritual exercises undertaken by the Daughters of the Cross. She financed about 46 church establishments altogether, with about 20 "Ellis churches" being built in the developing dioceses of South London. The total cost for these in today's terms would be around 14 million pounds. She died, single, at Hayle Nursing Home, Devon (Daughters of the Cross) which she had obtained for them with her own money, and was buried in the convent cemetery. She left instructions in her Will that a Mass should be offered every month for all the deceased who had ever worshipped at St James. THE FIRST PARISH PRIEST Father William Alton, Parish Priest from 1904 till 1911, had previously been a naval chaplain from Old Brompton, Chatham. Already in 1909 he was granted faculties to celebrate two masses "lest the faithful are deprived of Mass." In 1911 there were already about fifty more people at the 11 o'clock Mass, and so another Mass was needed at 10. The fact that he had a substantial pension made it more difficult to find a successor upon his early retirement. His chalice is still used' at Mass and bears the inscription "Presented to Fr W Alton by Parishioners and friends of Old Brompton and District Nov 81900." PARISH PREISTS Rev. William Alton 1904 - 1911 Rev. Reginald Pitts 1911- 1918 Rev. Leo Fichter 1918 – 1927 Rev. Edward Larkin 1927 - 1933 Rev. Harold Knight 1933 - 1938 Rev. Thomas Cambourne 1938 - 1940 Rev. Thomas Smith 1940-1960 Rev. Edward Mahony 1960 - 1974 Rev. Colm Acton 1974-1981 Rev. Gerard O'Brien 1981 – 1991 Rev. Raymund Brennan 1991 - 1997 Rev. Thomas McElhone 1997 (Assistant priests and deacons are not included here.) |
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A detailed look back on the parish bulletins from the past which ran from 1961 - 1965. An inspiring look onto the past which shaped the parish's future. Now in the documents section. THE FIRST PERSON IN ST JAMES'S BAPTISMAL REGISTER John Arrowsmitb, Baptized: 27 August 1905 by William Alton. Born 28 January 1905, son of Frederick Arrowsmith and Maria Joanna Arrowsmith (formerly O'Hara) his wife. Godfather: - [blank], Godmother: Catherine McBride. (the original is in Latin.) "THE MISSION" The parish is referred to in the early records as a "mission", until 1920 when it became a parish, even though its income was very small. The Hierarchy had been restored as early as 1850, but England and Wales were still considered as "mission territories" until 1908, under the authority of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, not under the common law of the Church, and as such received financial support from the Association for the Propagation of the Faith (APF for short), founded by the laywoman Pauline Jaricot in France as early as 1818, active in England since the mid-I 830s, and since 1926 the Pope's official organization for the financial support of "the missions". The 1930 Parish Visitation Report states concerning African mission appeals: "Your own rector is in charge of the APF, which you must support." ELM GROVE The road was completed by 1838 and in The Streets of London: the Booth Notebooks (edited J. Steele, 1997) it is described on 18 October 1899 as having "trees, shady, but has seen its best days. Lower middle class, occasional servants. Peckham Liberal Club here." THE CHURCHBUILDING The church is designed in the Romanesque style, much simpler than the Gothic and Renaissance styles and so considerably cheaper to build. There is no record of the architect but it resembles the style of F.W.Tasker and subsequent buildings followed his standard model: a Greek cross plan or nave and chancel. (Similar local buildings are St Gertrude's, Bermondsey South, and SS Philip and James, Herne Hill.) St James is built of London Stock Brick with a rectangular nave, large circular window and king-post roof. A lower north aisle and a gabled porch with a pointed window were added by Fr Pitts around 1912. By 1960, when Mgr Mahony became Parish Priest, the congregation had trebled in the previous ten years alone and there was a real need for a larger church, as people were standing out on the pavement, unable to get in at the later Sunday masses. In 1967 the church was redecorated following a fire started in the crib. In 1968 the choir loft and organ were installed, with the space below enclosed for parents and babies. There was already a special project in mind to rebuild the church about five years later. Some semi-permanent extensions were built in 1971 by Mgr Mahony which included a new sanctuary catering for Mass facing the people, adjacent chapel, sacristy and parish hall. These were considered as temporary because the local road development plans brought a threat of compulsory acquisition and demolition of the entire premises. On 25 July 1971, the Feast of St James, the new sanctuary was used. There was a new colour scheme and new altar furniture. The new altar was pushed back by 20 feet to give more seating accommodation. The side chapel was completed a few weeks later, and the new statue of the Risen Christ was also erected on the end gable wall. Now that parishioners had got used to standing to receive communion it was proposed to continue giving communion in that way. It was more convenient for many people, especially the elderly. Altar rails were no longer recommended, being regarded as a barrier between the people and the altar. On 22 April 1979 there was a second collection for the new altar which cost £635. The sanctuary was further rearranged in 1989. The wall painting of Calvary and Jerusalem in the side chapel was done by John Lessore, a local artist and parishioner. |
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THE PRESBYTERY The presbytery was built in the 1830s and was originally two houses, nos. 43 and 45, which were joined together in 1961. Central heating was installed in 1962, during the extremely cold winter. "Amalgamations of the Presbytery with the house adjoining and redecoration has transformed what was very inadequate into a fine parochial house." (Bishop's Visitation Report, 3 December 1961.) THE CHURCH INTERIOR 1906: The Stations of the Cross were blessed and installed. 1911-18: Fr Pitts added the monstrance (donated by the parishioners for £20), brass candelabra and vases, and the sanctuary carpet was bought with his Christmas offerings for £14. The Religious of the Sacred Heart from St Charles's TrainingCollege sent a gift of altar linen and a small ciborium, the brass candlesticks on Our Lady's altar and a black cope. In June 1915 parishioners collected £4.12 towards the statue of St Anthony, which cost £6.10/-, reduced for Fr Pitts Tom £10. 1926: Fr Fichter installed the electric lighting in the church and presbytery - its first appearance in Elm Grove. 1927: Fr Larkin put in the panelling on the walls and the sanctuary and erected the altar using the £ 1,500 left by Fr Leo Fichter on his departure. He also got from France the cast version of Leonardo's Last Supper which formed the front of the altar at that time. The altar was given at Whitsuntide 1933, and the altar stone is still with the Parish. 1935: Six wooden candlesticks used on the high altar for Requiems, and a little footstool used at Benediction, were made and presented by Mr Sidney Lowe, a non-Catholic who regarded it as a great honour that they should be used in the public worship of God. There was a Sacred Heart altar erected in 1965 which was formerly at Hale's Place, Canterbury THE GROUNDS AND GARDENS During Fr Larkin's time (1927-1933) the Knights of St Columba were established at the Friary, around 1927, as Council 117. As there was no hall, they had their meetings in the nearby Friary school. They then purchased from the Camberwell Borough Council for under £200 a large army hut possibly erected during the First World War, which had served as a temporary Church of England chapel in CamberwellNewCemetery. Fr Larkin allowed this "Columba Hall" to be set up in the presbytery garden. It was due to his vigilance that it stood the test of time and weather. The KSC added on a section and the London County Council required it to be made fire-proof inside and outside. This ran up the cost of £400. Two of the Knights, one a parishioner, made themselves responsible and borrowed the extra from their funds. The debt was paid off by whist drives, dances and concerts. In 1935 it was sold by the Knights to Fr Knight (1933-1938) for £225 and was used as a parish hall. Again, the hall was paid for by the Parish. 1938-1940: Fr Cambourne planned the garden and a grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. In the 1960s Fr Smith writes, "I heard that a well was discovered when the ground was dug up. Now, a few doors away from the church there is a house called Priory House. Years ago I came across (I forget where) a reference to a Nuns' Priory having existed thereabouts in the Middle Ages. Could that well have belonged to the Priory? I had the last two elm trees cut down (hence Elm Grove) and the experts said that they were at least 350 years old. Just at the rear of the hall was a mulberry tree (also had to be cut down) possibly it dated from the time of Charles 11. (Notice that in Consort Road there is a row of cottages reputed to have been built for old folk at the request of Charles' favourite 'pretty, witty Nell Gwynne'.)" WARTIME Because of war service and evacuation, parish numbers diminished and the offertory collections were only a few pounds. The Bishop's Report for January 1941 states that "the Congregation decreased by nearly 50% since the War began. Mass offerings are good." A parish priest writes "(one) time on a Sunday morning there was a warning and Fr Smith (1940-1960) advised the congregation to duck under the benches and gave a general absolution. Again God was good to us and preserved the church and presbytery during the war years." The Visitation Report for 1945 says "the church probably had a wonderful escape considering how much damage was caused by bombs quite near." A letter states, "People were playing solo before the whist drive began. There was a large report and something fell through the roof, broke a chair and buried itself in the concrete base. Another dropped between the hall and church. The bomb disposal man came along and it proved to be air containers dropped from an enemy plane which had been hit and fragments were found from the Old Kent Road to Brixton." The entry in the Church Notices book for 13 May 1945 reads "Today is set aside as a day of thanksgiving for the end of the European war. This afternoon at 4 o'clock we shall say the Te Deum during Benediction, which is for the conversion of England." PRIEST FROM THE PARISH Fr Anthony Logan, along with Fr Jim Furlong from Wexford, was curate in the parish from October 1971 to September 1975, replacing Fr Isidore Gallagher. His parents were married at St James on 24 August 1929, and lived at Hanover Park. He was baptized in May 1932, and his family moved to Honor Oak in 1934 but continued to attend St James. His father was President of the Legion of Mary in the days of Fr Clements and looked after the parish accounts for Mgr Mahony. He remembers being present at the 11.00 Mass on Sunday 3 September 1939 during which the first air raid warning of the war sounded. Mass times then were 8.30 and 11.00 only. Later as curate, he was secretary to the schools commission and recalls there was a weekly parish football pool to raise funds. There was a Senior Citizens' Club in the hall one afternoon a week, where his aunt played the piano. The Parish Social Club opened at the end of 1971 or early 1972 at Talfourd Road, where there was live music each weekend, and Bingo once a week where Mgr Mahony was an experienced caller. The Youth Club also met there led by Sam Tarrant and John Donovan. PEOPLE OF THE PARISH The congregation has naturally always reflected the population of Peckham with representatives from a wide variety of backgrounds as people chose to settle in the area for work etc. A fair number of the congregation have lived in the Dulwich, Camberwell and Nunhead parishes. There has been significant input from the Irish (from the beginning and again in the 1950s and I 960s), and from the Caribbean, notably from Saint Lucia. Fr Charles Walker became their chaplain and in the 1970s they often had Mass on a Saturday evening. The parish now flourishes with a great richness of backgrounds, - Vietnamese, African, Asian, French, Italian, and many other communities. "With so many ethnic groups within the Parish I was pleased to find a real sense of each other which is the beginning of any true integration." (Visitation Report, March 1976.) This sense of unity and togetherness still goes from strength to strength. We remember two priests from the Parish who lost their lives while serving their communities: Father Charles Gaillard who was attacked while offering Mass in Castries Cathedral, Saint Lucia, and who died 19 April 2001, and Father Peter Diem Dao, chaplain of the Vietnamese Pastoral Centre, who was killed in Vietnam in January 2003. RELIGIOUS SISTERS Religious Sisters who have worked in the Parish include the Daughters of Divine Love (Dog Kennel Hill), the School Sisters of Notre Dame (Muschamp Road), the Congregation of Our Lady: Canonesses of St Augustine (Bellenden Road, still current), Sisters Gabriel and Jerome who gave so much to parish life, and Sister Lien who continues this vital presence serving the parish. |
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PARISH LIFE The 1912 Visitation Form mentions that the customary offerings at the time were 3 or 4 shillings for baptisms, 5 or 10 shillings for marriages, with no extra fee for a nuptial Mass, 4 shillings for funerals, 6 pence ("or nothing") for churchings. Other financial arrangements included "door money: nothing; bench rents: £23; seat rents: 7/6, 5/-, 2/6, and tree accommodation on Sundays for the whole church." Catechism for the children was on Sunday afternoons (three quarters of an hour). There were 22 members in the Children of Mary and 17 in the Men's Guild. Children were presented for confirmation at seven years old. In 1916, during World War I, the Bishop urges "Wartime is a time for penance and prayer, I would like more at daily Mass and Benediction." In 1932 Confessions were heard in French as well as in English, and in 1945 and 1959 also in Spanish. 1934: There were new LCC flats on Dog Kennel Hill but no provision made for religious instruction. In the late 1930s the Legion of Mary was inaugurated "and is still proving its loyalty and, obedience to their spiritual director" (unsigned notes). 1940: Fr Smith was appointed by Archbishop Amigo as priest in charge of the spiritual welfare of 12,000 Gibraltarian evacuees in London hotels and continued until they left England in 1944. He lived in Peckham Rye Presbytery and became Parish Priest in 1942. 1941: the Children of Mary, the Guild of the Blessed Sacrament and a club for young people were active in the Parish. After the War parish numbers increased. Sunday Mass attendances in 1935 had been 221; the 1939 number of 434 had dropped to 266 by 1945, but rose steadily to 500 in 1950, to 748 in 1954, 1137 in 1959, reaching 2000 in 1961, dropping to 1506 in 1974 (when the Parish counted some 3300 members). 1951: A praesidium of the Legion of Mary was established in Peckham Rye and by 1959 there were two senior praesidia and 2 junior praesidia in the Parish. 1955: The church was now kept closed during the day because of the danger of theft. In 1958 Fr Smith noted in his Report that a history of the mission had been drawn up "probably by Fr Clements", that there were no religious in the Parish nor any Catholic school and that some 200 children attended County schools and there were catechism classes every Sunday afternoon. From October 1957 to March 1958 there had been weekly talks for non-Catholics in the Hall with an average attendance of 23 non-Catholics. Among the points suggested for the Bishop's address during his visit we find the topic of more frequent Holy Communion and that, "It is not always necessary to go to confession before receiving Communion." The Bishop in his reply to Fr Smith's report commended him for, among other things, the great trouble he was taking for overseas students. 1961: The Archconfraternity of St Stephen and the Society of St Vincent de Paul were now functioning in the Parish along with the Legion of Mary. "Mass attendance in 1950 was 500 and is now 2000." (Visitation Report November 1961.) For a time in the 1960s Mgr Mahony rented a tennis club hall on Dulwich Common. In 1962 the Parish Mission was preached by the Passionist Fathers: from Sunday 14 October to Saturday 20 October for women, followed by a week for men. ' 1965: The Pioneers of the Sacred Heart were now active in the Parish along with the Guild of St Stephen, the Guild of the Blessed Sacrament, the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Legion of Mary. The church was now kept open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. By 1975, as there were now only two priests in the Parish the number of Sunday masses was reduced. The 1971 Yearbook shows there were Masses on Sunday at 8, 9, 10, 11 (Sung), 12 noon, and at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 7 p.m. Masses Monday to Friday were at 7.30 and 8 a.m., and 6 p.m., and on Saturdays at 8 and 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. 1976: There were 5 catechists and a sister from Notre Dame, Southwark, active in the Parish. . 1986: A Parish Mission of Renewal was held 8-16 March, preached by Fr Hugh Mumaghan, a Vincentian. In the late 1980s special prayers were distributed and said regarding the threat to St James by the then proposed Channel Tunnel Rail Link plans by British Rail. 1988: A Lenten Mission 19 March to 27 March was given by Fr Dennot Power, a Passionist. On Maundy Thursday, 31 March, a Parish Supper was held in the Hall at 6.30, before the Mass at 8 p.m. 1990: Besides the other activities in the Parish there was a Parish Liturgy group and a Parish Bereavement group. |
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