St Peter's Catholic Eynsham

 

Visiting Eynsham  was a last minute decision with me. I felt I needed to visit a church for some photos and was wondering which was the easiest place to go on my list then Remembered Eynsham had a church I knew of. I grabbed by gear and set off. After going to a couple of places I wanted to see I parked along the road from the first church in the square and got on with taking my photos. Looking across the churchyard I noticed another church nearby and found an entrance in the churchyard. The church I noticed from the Churchyard Was St Peters Catholic Church so I walked around for a few photos. Some history off Wikipedia :- 

" In 1895 Herbert May founded a Roman Catholic mission at his home, Newland Lodge. The lodge burnt down in 1897, after which Mass was said at the Railway Inn until May had a new house built for him. The mission closed when May moved to Oxford. In 1928 the Roman Catholic parish of Witney leased the upper storey of the Bartholomew Room, making it St. Peter's Chapel. Building of a new Roman Catholic church was begun in the 1930s but was delayed by the Second World War and not completed until 1967.^"

St Peter's church which is new compared to the surrounding buildings nearby. This part is the west end. The main entrance being along the side ahead. You can rad some more history on the church on St Peter's website  Fr. Lopes who's dream the church was is buried in the churchyard

Looking slightly north with the rectory over on the left

^{This view shows the Church Entrance and Churchyard beside it}

 

Further around North with the ^{Tolkien Room on the left which you can read about in the link}

 Looking from over near the gate

This one and the next were taken from over in the Churchyard next door. this shows the east end with the apse on and right the Tolkien Room

Looking south west showing the Tolkien room right

Found these quite interesting while walking around the churchyard as couple of Church Finals where they are from I have no information on other than they are from the time of Fr Lopes

I hope to return to St Peter for a look inside when the time comes

^{Till next time have a great weekend}

 

Our Lady & St Edmund Abingdon

Although I knew of this church and had passed it on occasion it was not high on my list until I found out of some War Graves I needed to visit for a blog I was writing about an air crash at Sutton Wick. I also knew at one time it was part of a  Convent of the Sisters of Mercy and St Lady's School and I was unsure if that was still the case. I stopped off after visiting the nearby cemetery to take photos around the church and was happy to find that the church was open as well. Some history I found on the church can be read in the link, it is worth looking at for the old photo of the church even if you do not read it.

Above the church looking from Radley road
Left the east end of the church

Above he west end with the  bell

Right looking towards the North side of the church with the the connecting link to the nearby school

Going back around to the east end you can see what was either the presbytery or the convent

it links with the covered walkway you see

Above a commemoration of the popes visit in the 1980s

These were the graves I had come to visit from the Sutton Wick air crash

There were a number of graves on the north side of the church

But  I  also noticed that there were a long double row belonging to the Sisters of Mercy

A crucifix watches over then with a plaque fixed under the cross

All the graves are on a cordoned off area in neat rows with the sisters name on the cross.

Right a couple  of old cast iron grave markers that have broken off and are fixed to the church. I have to wonder if they used nearby

The churchyard also had some other war graves. Captain G.J.Ellison and Sergeant P.P.Mcnee

The back of  Captain G.J.Ellison's headstone shows his wife's name 

Above a family vault

left  the headstone of L.A.C Vincent Collins R.A.F who was killed on active service

Looking over towards the corner of the churchyard by the convent

some older headstones beside the north wall

One monument that stands out

Over by the convent wall you find fenced off vault

Listing the names of some of the Sisters of Mercy who started the convent

Inside the church looking down the nave

The cancel with the altar and the chancel window

The chance window and the south chapel

Looking over to the north side of the church where no doubt the the Sisters of Mercy took the school children boarding

Left the shrine to Our Lady of Abingdon 

Right a crucifix with tow of the stations of the cross at the base

Above a view back into the nave from behind the altar

Right the south chapel

I will leave you with this view of the altar 

Have a wonderful weekend 

St John the Evangelist Wallingford

St John the Evangelist Catholic Church Wallingford to give it's correct name
Before there was any Mass centre in Wallingford, a handful of Catholics would have attended Mass at either Dorchester to the north or Goring to the south.
In the autumn of 1924 the Catholic Community of Wallingford purchased an old Congregational chapel which had been built in the market place in 1799. Some years before it had ceased to be a place of worship, and had been used as a furniture store and bazaar. It was repaired, refurbished and re-opened as a Catholic Church in late 1924.
Eventually the need for larger accommodation proved a challenge. In 1958 it was decided to rebuild on the same site. While this work was going on, Mass was said in the Town Hall. The original chapel was demolished and the new and enlarged church was built.  It has had quite a few priests since it was purchased.

James Doran (served from Abingdon) 1924-1934

James Campbell (served from Didcot) 1934-1937

Arthur Olney 1937-1947

Abraham Jacob 1947-1957

William J Kearney 1958-1970

John D Dwyer 1970-1989

Donal O’Brien 1989-2006

David O'Sullivan 2006 -?

Since writing this I have found out Father David has moved on and Father Philip Harris has taken over.

(The history came from the church website)

This is the church as you see it today and the porch is a recent addition which a few years after building had a toilet added over to the right. I often wonder why it was never made the full width.  The front has been in the photograph of many marriages

So what do I remember of the church. Well just about remember Father  Jacob but fondest were of Father J Kearney who I used to serve mass for. At confessions Sat morning I could be kneeling at altar rails with my mate Dominic and Father J Kearney would walk up behind us and skelp me round the ear playfully  and slip my friend Dominic a bar of Chocolate, I was very sad when I heard he passed away. He retired in 1970 and  Father Dwyer took over. He was a nice priest and quite spoken  He buried my Father from her and a few years later  my wife & I were married here.  Father O’Brien was another nice priest who I met when I took my Mother to Mass he was also the priest who buried my Mother, it was a shame he moved to a  position elsewhere. The last Priest I met was Father O'Sullivan or Father David as he likes to be called is a very happy person who I found very helpful even though I don't visit his church as often as he would like.  

 

 The photo along the aisle was taken a number of years ago

 

 But recently I went in to esquire on a funeral that was happening the following week
The Altar had changed a little

 

 with the beautiful marble table now on show

Above is the Crucifix which I remember from my childhood though the figure of Christ is the same I think the cross has been changed 

 

 The Church Tabernacle  now sits on it's own plinth between the cancels and icon pictures either side

 

 2016

 

 

2024

 

The altar with crucifix above, it was shortened because I remember it being longer

The altar I remember after it was first moved was white and the legs a different shape

Looking to the entrance where the organ loft used to be, I feel it took away some of the feeling of the church

Stations of the cross along the walls

 

Our Lady with Jesus

Funny thing is the candle holder does not seem to have changed much

 

The inside of St John the Evangelist this has changed over the years. The pews you see were originally the pews from the Congregational chapel and when it was rebuilt in 1958 my Father got one of the pews and made a garden bench out of it we had for years. The pews you see in the photo have been in the church since it was rebuilt. The church was modernised in the 1990's to how you see it now. The altar rails were removed and no doubt sold off though I do still have one of the spare wrought brass pieces made for it. The blue and green glass frame you see was added and above where I am stood was a balcony which had become unsafe and was also removed. The roof beams above had top be fixed as they are laminated and had started to come apart, hopefully the church will survive a good few years more. since I wrote this some changes have been made to the church which I think have made an improvement.  One of these days you will see me at the back again during mass as the church still has a special place for me as I remember walking down the aisle with my new wife and big grin.

 

Till Next time have a peaceful week