1967: The Metropolitan Cathedral

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool, was consecrated on this day in 1967. Until our own Diocese was founded in 1924 Lancaster was part of the Liverpool Diocese; still today Lancaster remains in the Province of Liverpool, which consists of seven diocese and in which the Archbishop acts as figurehead. It is perhaps ironic that the Lancaster Diocese had a cathedral from the moment of its creation while its 'mother diocese', Liverpool, had to wait 117 years until a permanent cathedral was opened. The present Archbishop - Most Rev. Patrick Kelly - was a Lancaster Diocese priest and served at Lancaster Cathedral for a couple of years early in his priesthood.

St Thomas More's: the Lourdes Grotto

Following on from the earlier post about the opening of St Thomas More's, here is a picture of the Lourdes Grotto which was built there. When the Diocese of Lancaster was established in 1924 Our Lady of Lourdes was chosen as its principal patron. Not surprisingly, there has always been great devotion to her in the Diocese and a number of churches have statues or small grottos such as this. The grotto remains in place today and is still a focus for prayer and devotion. Those who know the scene will notice how much the backdrop has changed since this image was taken.

1937: The Opening of St Thomas More's

It's 72 years to the day since the church of St Thomas More on the Marsh estate was opened. The picture here records the event: Bishop Pearson, wearing cope and mitre, is seen in the centre sprinkling holy water. The rite involved walking around the new church while saying prayers of exorcism and singing the litany of the saints. The notice book from 1937 gives us a few more details: "Special buses will run to Marsh from the market entrance from 10am to 10:30am today; return buses leave Marsh about 12noon. This is for the solemn opening of the new church of St Thomas More at 10:30am by His Lordship the Bishop of Lancaster; Benediction in the evening at 6:30pm. Special sermons both morning and evening by Right Rev Mgr Lorne(?), St Bede’s Manchester." Today the church is still vibrant, thanks to the efforts of a small community of Ursuline Sisters who have cared for it over the past 15 years or so. Clergy from the Cathedral also serve the church, which is now the only Christian presence on the Marsh. On Low Sunday (19th April) 2009 it was formally re-merged with the Cathedral parish, after several decades as a parish in its own right.

We can't be absolutely sure, but our best sources tell us that the man on the left of the picture is none other than Dr Reginald Dixon, the Cathedral's Director of Music. It is almost certain that he would have been present at the opening, and here is very likely seen leading the singing as the procession walks around the new church.

1900: St Joseph's Church

109 years ago today the foundation stone of St Joseph's church was blessed by the Bishop of Liverpool. Canon Billington: "Skerton grew with the recent rapid growth of population in Lancaster. The distance from school was a great inconvenience to Catholic parents residing there, and through Miss Coulston's benefaction a school chapel was provided." Following the opening of the school in 1896, "Miss Coulston next determined to build a permanent church of St. Joseph and a priests' house... The architects were Pugin and Pugin... The house was completed in 1899, but Miss Coulstone retained this for her life, making it her residence, and dying there in 1909. The church was completed in little more than a year, and was consecrated on July 3, 1901; it was opened on the following July 7. Electric light was installed in 1902."

1975: The Death of Dr Dixon

34 years ago today Dr J. H. Reginald Dixon, who for 62 years had overseen music at St Peter's, died at the age of 88. During May on Billington's Blog we will have the opportunity to discover more about the life and character of this extraordinary man, and we will mark the 100th anniversary of his appointment here. The notice book from 4th May 1975 gives details of his funeral: "Dr Dixon's body will be received into the Cathedral on Tuesday evening at 7.0pm followed by Mass. The Requiem will be on Wednesday at 10.0am and the Bishop will be present. The funeral will be in the Cathedral cemetery." Dr Dixon was buried in the same grave as Laurenz Schmitz, who had been organist at Dalton Square from 1855, moving to the new church when it was opened and serving here until 1894. He died in January 1909, less than four months before Dr Dixon took up the role.

Set for a feast

In the archives at Cathedral House these images were found. The Cathedral Library is set for a feast, though the occasion is unknown. It is possible that the pictures date from the centenary of the church in 1959, though this is simply speculation. Whatever the occasion, it looks as though it was a fine feast with plenty of courses to keep the guests satisfied!

1857: The Foundation Stone

152 years ago today the foundation stone of the new St Peter's church was blessed. Sadly no one has been able to track down any marked stone on the current building; the reason for this remains a mystery. Here is Canon Billington's account of the day: "The foundation-stone was blessed with the usual ceremonial on April 29, 1857, br Dr. Alexander Goss, then Bishop of Liverpool, Bishop Brown, who would have taken a special interest in it, having died in the year before. The bishop was attened by Canon Fisher and Provost Croskell as deacon and subdeacon, and many of the North Lancashire clergy assembled round them. There was a large attendance of laymen also, and the ceremony, then an unusual one in the district, was conducted with decorum and edification, as Dean Brown was glad to record. The police force offered its services to keep order, but had little beyond routine work to perform, the behaviour of the people being reverent. There was a luncheon afterwards, and in the evening the police and the workmen had a supper provided for them." The involvement of the police is a sign of the hostility that there was to the building of a new Catholic church at the time. Less than 30 years after the Catholic Emancipation Act, feelings in Lancaster were still running high. Canon Billington also notes, "It was currently stated that one of the best builders in the town had been asked to undertake the mason's work at his own estimate, but being a zealous Protestant, declined to do so solely on religious grounds." A footnote records that the same man later did some work on the church.

In 2007 a memorial stone was produced to mark the 150th anniversary of the blessing of the foundation stone. The occasion began the build-up to the 2009 celebrations.

The Te Deum Window

At the west end of the Cathedral is found the glorious Te Deum window, an illustration of the great hymn of praise; the window was installed in 1888. Christ is seen seated in glory at the centre, with the Holy Spirit above and Our Lady at the foot of the image. Canon Billington takes more than a full page to describe the window, and gives details of the saints and Old Testament characters that can be seen here: St Peter, King David, St Stephen, St Thomas of Canterbury, St Alban, St George, St Edmund, St Oswald, St John the Baptist and St Elizabeth, St Joseph, St Anne, Sainst Ambrose and Augustine (who are traditionally credited as the authors of the hymn), St Joseph, St Edward the Confessor, St Richard, St Charles Borromeo, St Mary Magdalene, St Gertrude, St Helen, St Catherine of Alexandria. Billington's lengthy list of saints is by no means exhaustive; click on the image above to enlarge it and see for yourself. The window was given by Joseph Smith, who died on this day in 1889.

1853: The Convent of St Walburga

These days the building pictured houses the Diocesan Curial Offices, but for most of its history it was a convent. It was on this day in 1853 that the convent opened, as Canon Billington relates: "Soon after the schools were opened it was decided to introduce religious to teach the girls and infants. By a gift from Mr. Thomas Coulston it was possible to begin the convent building, and on April 25, 1853, Sisters of Mercy came from St. Ethelburga's, Mount Vernon, Liverpool, to take the work up." The Sisters of Mercy stayed well into the 20th century; after they left the convent was occupied by Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, who continued the educational work from the 1940s.

It may be tempting to ask why the convent was dedicated to St Walburga; the Canon has the answer: "The name of St. Walburga was chosen for the Lancaster house in accordance with a promise made on the recovery of one of the sisters of St. Ethelburga's, through the application of St. Walburga's oil, that the next house founded should be dedicated to her."

1735: Dr Edward Hawarden

On this day in 1735 died the man Billington describes as "the celebrated Dr. Edward Hawarden". Canon Billington gives his story in some detail: "He was of the family of Hawarden of Appleton in Widnes, and was eductaed at Douay [Douai], being ordained priest in 1686. He was one of the Catholic divines whom James II forced upon Magdalen College, Oxford, but his tenure of office was for a few weeks only in 1688, and he returned to Douay to teach there. He was made D.D. [Doctor of Divinity], and appointed vice-president of the college." In 1707 he came to England and worked at first in Durham, then came to Aldcliffe near Lancaster (now part of the Cathedral parish) in 1711. Canon Billington reproduces references to Dr Hawarden in the diary of Thomas Tyldesley (previously mentioned here); Tyldesley records that he dined with the priest on a number of occasions and went to him for confession. His diary for 24th December 1713 refers to Christmas Mass: "About 11 at night went to Aldcliffe, where Dr. Hawarden preached gloriously."

Dr Hawarden is one of the few people whose picture hangs on the main corridor of Cathedral House, where it is found just outside the library. Canon Billington writes that he left Aldcliffe in 1715 and by 1719 had settled in London. He wrote a number of noted works, including one for which "the University of Oxford gave him thanks", and was clearly highly regarded. Bishop John Milner (1752-1826) remarked that Dr Hawarden "for depth of learning and strength of argument had not been surpassed since the time of Bellarmine". Sadly after Dr Hawarden left Aldcliffe the work soon came to end: "the Government made an inquiry into the estates held by Catholics, and particularly into those suspected of being devoted to what were abusively called 'superstitious uses,' i.e. the service of the Catholic religion. An informer betrayed the secret trust on which Aldcliffe was held, and so it was confiscated and sold."

1895: a new church for Morecambe

Over the years St Peter's has played a significant role in establishing new parishes in and around Lancaster. Canon Billington writes, "The growth of Morecambe, both as a place of permanent residence and as a summer resort, demanded the attention of the clergy of St. Peter's. Jeremiah Parkinson of Bare, who died in 1880, and his wife Margaret, who died in 1888, left £2356 for establishing a church at Morecambe; this was used for purchasing the land, and by July 1891 a little over £816 was in hand for a church. Provost Walker, Mr. William Smith, Miss Coulston, Alderman T. Preston, and Mr. John Leeming each gave £100 to it, and other gifts were added; but the chief assistance came from £1000 offered in December 1891 by Miss Helena Leeming on her profession as a Carmelite at Lanherne". The foundation stone of St Mary's was laid on this day in 1895, and the church opened on December 12th in the same year. Canon Billington gives a description of the building and notes that it was served from Lancaster for only a short time; its first resident priest, Rev. John Smith, was appointed in 1896 and established a school soon after. Writing less than 15 years after the church opened, Canon Billington obviously did not feel the need to give many further details of its history, but adds, "The history of the place has been uneventful."

1584: Blessed James Bell and Blessed John Finch

The martyrs' plaque in the Cathedral shows that on 10th April 1584 James Bell and John Finch were executed in Lancaster for their Catholic faith. Canon Billington, by contrast, records that their deaths took place on 20th April, and after him we today recall the event. Billington treats the stories at some length, so our account here will be somewhat abbreviated.

Blessed James Bell

Canon Billington records that he was "a Marian priest who conformed under Elizabeth... though his conscience reproved him... In 1581, being over sixty years of age, he returned to Lancashire and endeavoured to obtain a certain chapel which was without cure of souls... It was in the gift of a gentleman whose wife was a Catholic... 'She put him in mind that he was made priest to say Mass and to minister the sacraments after the Catholic use and manner in the unity of the Catholic Church.' He fell sick soon afterwards, and her words, joined with the reproaches of his own conscience, brought him to repentance and reconciliation." Having been arrested then released he continued his duties for two years before being captured again. He stood trial in Manchester before being sent to Lancaster, where he was executed, as Canon Billington records, "praying expressly for all Catholics and for the conversion of all heretics, and so ended this miserable life most gloriously, committing his soul to Almighty God."

Blessed John Finch

Perhaps surprisingly, this martyr was a convert to Catholicism: "He was brought up as a conformist; but when he was about the age of twenty, a visit to London to seek his fortune led him to mark 'the diversities of opinions in matters of faith and religion, the daily troubles and losses which many men sustained constantly for the ancient and Catholic religion, the continual mutations and changings from Protestancy to Puritanism, and from that again to infinite other sects and heresies,' and so forth. He returned home and resolved to act consistently as a Catholic, particularly in the observance of days of fasting and abstinence. He married, obtained reconciliation to the Catholic Roman Church, went often to confession and received the Blessed Sacrament, and made it his special business 'for many years together to guide and direct Catholic priests to Catholic men's houses'." He was captured, with a priest, by the Earl of Derby, imprisoned in Manchester and after three years sent to the assizes and executed in Lancaster.

Canon Billington adds an interesting footnote: "Two other priests were tried and condemned with the martyrs; they were named Thomas Williamson and Richard Hatton, but their lives were spared because, so it was believed, the judges had been ordered to execute no more than two."