Photo-a-Day  (Tuesday, 29th October, 2024)

Colin , great news it was announced last week that both St Mary's and St John's are to remain opened .
Both congregations were delighted to receive the news,

I was talking to a parishioner of St.Mary's yesterday,he was telling me he is delighted that St.Mary's is being kept open after much campaigning and great support.

Since posting this picture, I now believe that St Mary’s Church has been given a reprieve by the Bishop.
This is good news as I would have hated it to fall into the same dilapidated state as Poor old St Joseph’s.

A friend did some family history research for me some years ago, and apparently my great-grandparents James Monks and Sarah Hardman were married here on the 10th November 1863. Our family isn't Catholic, so whether either James or Sarah WAS Catholic and "turned", (as they used to say), to be allowed to marry, I have no idea, and there is now no-one left to ask.

Deo Gratias!
Power to all the parishioners past and present. I went to both during Covid. The last nails in the coffin if they go.

Irene, we were brought up Catholics and my brother wanted to marry an Anglican girl.
The old dog of a Catholic priest told him that she would have to turn, so he told him the lady was not for turning, and they went to the Anglican church and married there.

Sorry, I made an error in my earlier comment. I meant to say that one of my great-grandparents may have been Protestant and "turned", (that is, took instruction into the Catholic Faith), in order to marry at St. John's. A mystery to which I will never know the answer.

Tom, I could tell stories of my own from the 50’s and 60’s of religious bigotry but those days are long gone but for many the scars are still there.
These days there is far more understanding and cooperation between the main Christian denominations which is all to the good.
People think that Christianity is dying but it’s a bit like retail, it’s evolved into ‘and I hate to use the term’ Happy Clappers churches that seem to be booming.

PS. My main interest is the historical and cultural significance of the churches and buildings I take pictures of.
Regardless of their past and sometimes darker side for some they are part of our heritage and in my ‘humble’ opinion they should be valued for that and preserved.

At a local school near me a few years ago the proposed Nativity play was deemed not able to go ahead . The reason being that it had little or no relevance to many children at the school that was ninety percent multi cultural .
In years to come and the levels of immigration we continue to have , I have these same fears even for our own monarchy! Or am I being far too pessimistic?
The levels coming over on the boats are now headed by Vietnamese and from Afghanistan ! What relevance is our monarchy to them apart from nothing ?

You are right Mark and it’s a very lucrative business for the smugglers! Some leave their countries because of debt arrears. What does that tell you? I watched something on the news the other night a Somalian woman ran up a debt of £ 12000 for her rent and expected the ‘ council’ to pay it for her. She ended up going to live in her son’s house and the Bailiffs wanted to take some furniture from his house. She was quite happy for them to do this and said they could all sleep on the floor! They have a mind set of entitlement! I despair for this country.

There were good and bad priests and vicars in every denomination, as there are good and bad people in all walks of life. The vicar at Ince Parish refused to christen me because my Mam didn't attend church, (or so he said), but I learned as I grew up that he fawned over those with money who could afford to give to the church. However, I was welcomed with open arms at Rose Bridge Methodists who showed me nothing but kindness all through my childhood years. These "do-gooders" make me heave.....we can't put flags up or hold a Nativity Play because we might "offend" someone, when 90% of those we are supposed to be offending , if questioned, wouldn't be "offended" at all! If I were headmistress of a school anywhere in Britain, my pupils would put on a Nativity Play and those who didn't like it could lump it!

My Mam “turned” as they say Catholic for my Dad..our next door neighbour who was married to an Irish Catholic man told my Mam that the priest (when they used to come for funds)had enquired if she knew why my Mam didn’t go to church..that was like a red rag to a bull..she waited for him the Sunday after,told him “do not ask my neighbours about my business..I stay at home on Sundays getting dinner ready for my family after they’ve been to church..and I repeat do not ask my neighbours about my business)..bet he wished he’d not bothered.

I knew a lad who told me that he went to a Catholic school, and because he had not attended church or Sunday school over the weekend he got picked on and banished to the back of the classroom where he learned nothing.
He turned out to be a very good artist. But couldn't spell. It didn't him personally, but he still got picked on because of simple spelling mistakes.

Mark, ludicrous, my philosophy has always been when in Rome do as the Romans do. Otherwise keep it yourself.

My mam wasn’t a Catholic but because the war was on the priest granted my dad a favour because he was in uniform! The wedding took place in the vestry!!! I think most people have a tale to tell.

Difficult to follow the logic of this thread. What have refugees and Somalians not respecting the monarchy got to do with a grade II listed church? So much anger on this site against some of the most desperate and in need people in our society.

Because we are being forced to give up all that we have grown up with, WN2, including Nativity Plays and School Morning Assemblies with hymns and prayers, because they don't fit in with the beliefs of people who have moved into this country. If I moved to India, Africa or anywhere else, I wouldn't expect the people there to give up their beliefs because of me....I would either fit in with theirs or I would leave.

Perhaps the logic to this thread hinges upon the fact that Somalia , Afghanistan or Vietnam aren’t even countries within Europe , yet thousands of their inhabitants end up on our shores , often illegally .
Are these the desperate and needy people of which you speak WN2 ?

One of the wealthiest areas on our planet must surely be the United Arab Emirates , an area practically on the doorstep of the aforementioned countries , yet these fugitives choose to risk life and limb to come to the UK . Any idea of why this should be WN2 … because as far as I’m aware they all share the same religion , with the possible exception of Vietnam maybe , so why rock up in the land of the infidel ?

Of course , historic meddling in the affairs of foreign cultures in the name of the empire has done little to help matters .

But just for the record , although it has been intimated previously that I hold racist views , I don’t personally consider myself racist .

Further for the record , I also have little time for religion and even less time for the establishment known as the church , irrespective of denomination .
And the less said about the monarchy in my company the better .

A little research on the history of both may shed a little light on the reasons for my opinion .

I’m sure any donations would be acceptable for the lady who has run up a debt of £12000 via the BBC. After being given a nice place to live and ousted because of it.

Observant and clued up and having an opinion is normal Ozy.