St Monica's Catholic Church | |
---|---|
![]() | |
51°37′27″N0°6′9″W / 51.62417°N 0.10250°W | |
Location | Stonard Road, London N13 4DJ |
Country | United Kingdom |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Website | www |
History | |
Status | Parish church |
Consecrated | 4 May 1914 |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Years built | 1913–1914 |
Administration | |
Province | Westminster |
Archdiocese | Westminster |
Deanery | Enfield |
Parish | Palmers Green |
Clergy | |
Priest(s) | Canon Mehall Lowry |
St Monica's Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in the Palmers Green area of north London. The parish church is situated at the junction of Stonard Road and Green Lanes in the London Borough of Enfield.
It is one of only two parishes in the Diocese of Westminster to be dedicated to Saint Monica, the other being that of St Monica's Priory, Hoxton.
Originally founded as a mission church, it then became established as a parish, with a presbytery built alongside in 1931. [1]
As of 2021, the church has two priests, a parish sister and a lay youthworker. The church activities include community programmes and social action alongside worship and pastoral care. [2]
The parish church was founded as a mission church in 1910. Father Thomas Heditch was appointed rector of the new parish in 1910, but fell ill in the spring of 1912. He went on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, but did not return. Then Father Patrick Gallagher was appointed rector on 27 June 1912.
Father Gallagher (whose Grandnephew was Dr Joseph Cassidy the former Archbishop of Tuam) originally came from the parish of Midfield, County Mayo in Ireland. He was a late recruit to the priesthood, having previously been a builder based in the Northeast of England (He had this business along with his brother John, Cassidy's grandfather; John would go on to own the Railway Hotel, now Douglas Kelly's Solicitors, in Swinford, Co. Mayo after they disbanded their building company). After a family tragedy he joined the priesthood, and became the main driving force in the building of St. Monica's Church. Using his considerable resources and connections within the building industry, Fr Gallagher managed to build the church within two years of his arrival.
The church's official opening was on Monday 4 May 1914 by Francis Cardinal Bourne in front of nearly 600 lay people and 40 clergy. The church, together with the presbytery, was built for £6,600 including the cost of the site.
Then in 1954 Fr Gallagher built St. Monica's Primary School on land in nearby Cannon Hill in Southgate. This was to be his last and dearest ambition achieved, for three years later on 11 December 1957, Fr Gallagher finally passed from this world with his work complete. He is buried with his family in Stanley, County Durham in the northeast of England.
The church started an amateur dramatic society, Saint Monica's Players (SMP), in 1958 that continues to perform musicals across Enfield today.
From 1935 to 1987, the parish hall was used for a repertory theatre, the Intimate Theatre. [3]
In 1920, Father Gallagher attended the Passion Play at Oberammergau in Bavaria, Germany. He was impressed by the wood carving industry there. He promptly ordered the Sacred Heart altar and a Lady altar (which has since been removed), the statues of St Monica and St Joseph, two confessional boxes and a handsome pulpit with an effective sounding board (also removed).
Situated in the traditional south west corner of the church, the Sacred Heart Chapel was an anonymous gift from an early parishioner. The walls are lined with stone mosaic in various patterns and rich colours in the Byzantine style. Two angels bear parts of one of Jesus' revelations to Sister Margret Mary in the 1670s: 'Behold this Heart' on the left and 'Which has so loved men' on the right. The Sacred Heart statue is in the centre of the wooden altar, surrounded by intricate carving. The painted panels on each side of the statue depict on the left, St Peter receiving the keys of the Church from Jesus, while on the right, Jesus showing his Sacred Heart to Sister Margret Mary, in the chapel where she lived and worked. The stained glass window, by Franz Mayer & Co of Munich, portrays Jesus surrounded by children and has the superscription: 'Suffer little children to come unto me' (Mark 10:14). A line below the images invites people to 'Pray for the Donors'.
The statue of St Monica, with St Augustine as a baby in a boat at her feet, stands in front of the modern Reconciliation Room. This was built in the Baptistery, which itself was added to the church in 1964. The statue of St Joseph, holding a lily, the symbol of the Christian virtue of chastity, is adjacent to the Sacred Heart Chapel. The Statue of St Mary is in a niche on the north wall and has a popular candle stand and the Book of Remembrance below.
Originally framed, the fourteen Stations of the Cross, carved in oak, were commissioned by Father Gallagher. We have been unable to find where they came from and when. The frames are long gone now and set against the plain walls of the Church, the individual images tell the story of Christ's crucifixion in a simple and dignified way.
The organ, used for the first time at Christmas in 1924, was described by The Tablet as 'An instrument of great power and beautiful tone'. There was a service to bless it in early January 1925. Cardinal Francis Bourne was due to attend but was indisposed. St Monica's was the second home for the organ, but no-one knows where it was previously. It was refurbished in spring 2014. It is positioned in the organ loft, which sits above the church porch.
The large wooden crucifix with an expressive, carved Christ (origin unknown) has been hung in various places around the Church down the years. Currently in hangs along the south wall and every year on Remembrance Sunday, the congregation turns to face it for a brief service of Remembrance and two minutes' silence.
The sanctuary window above the altar was originally plain glass. For some years it had a curtain across it and the large wooden cross hung there. In 1984, an anonymous donor provided the new window. It was painted by the Maltese artist Carmel Cauchi (born 1927) who said 'It shows Christ in the glory of His resurrection. Jesus is the light'.
New lights were installed in 2010, in time for the celebration of the centenary of the founding of the parish. Designed by Bruce Kirk of Light Perceptions, they were built in Lancashire. Their design reflects that of the original lights from 1914.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, located in Davenport, Iowa, United States, is a Catholic cathedral and a parish church in the Diocese of Davenport. The cathedral is located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River to the east of Downtown Davenport. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cathedral Complex. This designation includes the church building, rectory, and the former convent, which was torn down in 2012. The cathedral is adjacent to the Cork Hill Historic District, also on the National Register. Its location on Cork Hill, a section of the city settled by Irish immigrants.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Notre Dame, Indiana, is a Catholic church on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, also serving as the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross (C.S.C.) in the United States. The neo-gothic church has 44 large stained glass windows and murals completed over a 17-year period by the Vatican painter Luigi Gregori. The basilica bell tower is 230 feet (70 m) high, making it the tallest university chapel in America. It is a contributing building in Notre Dame's historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The basilica is a major tourist attraction in Northern Indiana, and is visited annually by more than 100,000 tourists.
The Holy Name of Jesus Roman Catholic Church is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York located at 207 West 96th Street at the corner of Amsterdam Avenue in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1900 and was designed by Thomas H. Poole in the Gothic Revival style.
Saint Pancras is an active Roman Catholic parish church serving the town centre of Ipswich, England. The neo-gothic church was built as part of the British Catholic revival in the nineteenth century, and was the target of anti-Catholic riots soon after completion.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and of Saint Mary His Mother, better known as Sacred Heart Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral church on Hill Street, Wellington, New Zealand. It is the parish church of the Thorndon Catholic parish and the seat of the Archbishop of Wellington. The New Zealand Parliament is a close neighbour of the cathedral. However, the Thorndon Catholic parish predates that institution. The cathedral is part of a Catholic precinct which includes: St Mary's College; Sacred Heart Cathedral School; St Mary's Convent, the motherhouse of the Sisters of Mercy in Wellington; the Catholic Centre, in which Catholic administration is located; and Viard House, which is both the cathedral parish presbytery and the residence of the archbishop.
The Parish Church of Urtijëi located in the town of Urtijëi in Val Gardena in South Tyrol, Italy is dedicated to the Epiphany and to Saint Ulrich.
The Cathedral Church of Saint Margaret, also known as Ayr Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Ayr, Scotland. It is the seat of the Bishop of Galloway, and the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galloway. St Margaret's was designated a cathedral in 2007, due to the closure of Good Shepherd Cathedral, Ayr.
The Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Colman or Newry Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Newry, Northern Ireland. It acts as the seat of the Bishop of Dromore, and the Mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dromore. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, over 200,000 people visited the cathedral each year. The cathedral sits on Newry's Main Street and is a Grade A listed building.
St. Albert's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The church is situated at the address 38 Liepāja Street. It is the biggest catholic church in Latvia it can host around 2500 people.
St. Basil's Church, built in 1856, is the founding church of the Congregation of St. Basil in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the college church of St. Michael's College, Toronto, and a parish church serving a large local congregation.
The Cathedral of the Assumption is both the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin and the parish church for the cathedral parish. Located in Carlow town, the cathedral was dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1833. It is known for its beautifully detailed 151 ft (46 m) spire which is one of the highest points in the town.
The Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic church located in St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. The church is of architectural, aesthetic and historical significance and was built in stages, is one of the major landmarks of St Kilda.
The Basilica of St. Sebastian is a church in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, Sicily, Italy, raised to the status of a minor basilica in 1991.
Our Lady of Lourdes Church is a Roman Catholic church in the parish of St Jeanne Jugan, Leeds. It was built by the Society of Jesus in the 1920s and it is situated on Cardigan Road in Burley, Leeds.
The Sacred Heart Basilica or Timaru Basilica, is a Catholic church in Timaru, New Zealand. Despite its name, it is not legally designated as a basilica by the Catholic Church. It was designed by the New Zealand architect, Francis Petre and is one of his most celebrated works. Its size and appearance make it one of the most important historic buildings of Timaru and of the South Canterbury region. The Basilica's twin towers and copper cupola are highly visible features of the Timaru skyline, especially from the south. The Basilica is also one of the "most noteworthy examples of ecclesiastical architecture" in New Zealand with elements of "Roman and Byzantine architecture with touches of Art Nouveau decoration." It is a registered historic place, category 1.
Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Exeter, Devon, England. It is a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth. It was built from 1883 to 1884 and designed by Leonard Stokes. It is situated on the corner of South Street and Bear Street, close to Exeter Cathedral in the centre of the city. It is a Gothic Revival church and a Grade II listed building.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy is a minor basilica in Yarumal, Colombia. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa de Osos, and is the seat of the parish of the same name. The basilica is devoted to the Virgin Mary, and the patron saint is the Virgin of Mercy. It is the titular church of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga.
St Patrick's Church is a Roman Catholic church in the Beaumont Leys area of Leicester. The current church building dates from 1959, built to accommodate Leicester's growing Catholic population, although the parish was first created in 1854. The current church building is in the Romanesque style with three distinctive domes in the nave of the church. A stained glass window depicting St Patrick, the parish patron, stands at the back of the church. The current parish priest is Father Raphael Imoni, who arrived at St Patrick's in September 2018. The church serves St Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy and English Martyrs Catholic School.
Basilica of Notre-Dame des Enfants is a minor basilica located in Châteauneuf-sur-Cher, France. The basilica is dedicated to Our Lady of the Children and is the seat of the Archbishop of Bourges. Built from 1869 until 1879, it is largely in the Neo-Gothic architectural style and was constructed at about the same time as Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière.
The collegiate church of San Martino is a religious building located in the historic center of Cerreto Sannita.