St Anselm's Church, Southall

Last updated

St Anselm's Church, Southall
St Anselm's Church, Southall-geograph-4504116-by-John-Salmon.jpg
View of church entrance
Ealing London UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
St Anselm's Church, Southall
Location of church within Ealing, London
51°30′13″N0°22′50″W / 51.503729°N 0.380541°W / 51.503729; -0.380541
OS grid reference TQ1698490416
Location Southall, London
Country United Kingdom
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website StAnselmChurchSouthall.com
History
StatusActive
Founded1906 (1906)
Dedication St Anselm of Canterbury
Architecture
Functional statusParish Church
Architect(s) Burles, Newton & Partners
Groundbreaking 17 June 1967
Completed20 April 1968
Construction cost£120,000
Administration
Province Westminster
Archdiocese Westminster
Deanery Ealing [1]
Clergy
Archbishop Most Rev. Vincent Nichols
Priest(s) Fr Jovito D'Souza SJ

St Anselm's Church in Southall is a Roman Catholic parish church served by the Society of Jesus in the London Borough of Ealing within the administration of the Archdiocese of Westminster. It is situated on The Green, a main thoroughfare into Southall. Built from 1967 to 1968, it has stained glass windows designed by Patrick Reyntiens and Jerzy Faczynski. The parish was home to the De Nobili Dialogue Centre; a Jesuit building for inter-religious dialogue. It is also the only Catholic church in Southall and the parish has more than fifty nationalities represented in the congregation. [2]

Contents

History

Foundation

From 1906, when the parish began, to the present church, St Anselm's has been in three different church buildings. The first St Anselm's church in Southall began in 1906. It was situated in a tithe barn of Southall Manor House.

School and church building

In 1919, the parish priest was Fr William M. Buckle. He sought the funding and building of a church and school to accommodate the growing congregation. That year, he placed a full-page advert in The Tablet calling for donations to build a church and school with the title "Save us at Southall or we Perish". [3] A year later in 1920, a new church and school building was opened. [4] [5] The church was dedicated to Saint Anselm, as he had a manor in neighbouring Hayes from 1095 and travelled through Southall to reach it. [6] [7] [8] The building in 1920 was constructed in two halves. One half was the church, the other was a hall that housed a small mixed junior school. As the size of the school increased, in 1930, a new church was opened. This was built beside the school and was a long, low, brick building with a separate small wooden bell tower.

Construction

In 1932, Fr Leo A. Ward succeeded Fr Buckle as parish priest. With the church again needing to be enlarged, Fr Ward set about the building of the current church. On 17 June 1967, the foundation stone was laid by Bishop Patrick Casey. On 23 March 1968 the church was blessed. On 20 April 1968 it was opened by Cardinal John Heenan. The church was designed by John Newton of the firm Burles, Newton & Partners, and has stained glass windows designed by Patrick Reyntiens. Jerzy Faczynski, who also did the stained glass in St Ambrose's Church, Speke, designed the windows in the side chapels. The old church became the school hall. [4] [5] From 2001, priests from the Society of Jesus have been serving the parish. Nearby, they started the De Nobili Dialogue Centre, a centre for inter-religious dialogue. Named after Roberto de Nobili, it provided a space for different faiths to meet in prayer and dialogue. [9] It was also associated with the Centre for Christianity and Interreligious Dialogue at Heythrop College, University of London. [10]

Parish

Groups

The church is involved with the West London branch of Citizens UK. [11] Also, resident in the parish is a community of the Missionaries of Charity who work with the poor in the area. [12] Hope for Southall Street Homeless is based in and around the church and the parish centre. [13]

School

The parish enjoys a close relationship with the nearby St Anselm's Catholic Primary School. Different school year groups celebrate Mass each term and they also have regular Masses which are celebrated by the whole school throughout the year. [14]

Interior

See also

References

  1. Parishes, Archdiocese of Westminster Retrieved 20 February 2013
  2. Southall, Jesuits in Britain Retrieved 20 February 2013
  3. "The Tablet - 1 November 1919". papyrus.exacteditions.com. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Southall - St Anselm". Taking Stock. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  5. 1 2 Norwood, British History Online Retrieved 20 February 2013
  6. "Hayes Court (The Gatehouse Record)". www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  7. "The Manor House". southallinpictures. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  8. "Hayes". Hillingdon Council. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  9. De Nobili Dialogue Centre, Jesuits in Britain Retrieved 20 February 2013
  10. De Nobili, Ealing LGFL Retrieved 20 February 2013
  11. West London Citizens Retrieved 20 February 2013
  12. Parish info, St Anselm's Church, Southall Retrieved 20 February 2013
  13. "Hope For Southall Street Homeless | Southall". HSSH. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  14. Community, St Anselm's Catholic Primary School Retrieved 20 February 2013