Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation

Edit links
Coordinates: 50°58′40″N 0°19′28″W / 50.977807°N 0.324482°W / 50.977807; -0.324482
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation
Shrine and Parish Church of Our Lady of Consolation and Saint Francis
Southwark
DioceseArundel and Brighton
DeaneryCrawley[2]

The Church of Our Lady of Consolation and St Francis is a

Gothic Revival style church and a Grade II listed building.[1]

The shrine is dedicated to the

Blessed Virgin Mary
under the venerated title of Our Lady of Consolation which merited a pontifical decree of coronation from Pope Leo XIII on 12 July 1893.

History

The venerated Marian image canonically crowned by Pope Leo XIII on 12 July 1893.

Origins

Before the

Blessed Virgin Mary in West Grinstead.[1]

After the

recusant landowner, had to sell West Grinstead Manor.[3] After the house was sold, Edward Caryll gave the presbytery to the priests and endowed the mission with £1,300. From 1758 until 1815, from that house Franciscans served the local Catholics in the area.[4]

Foundation

In 1863, the local Catholic mission was revived when a French priest, Jean-Marie Denis was appointed to serve the Catholic population in the area. As well as founding the church, he also reopened the school (which later became an orphanage), and built St Juliana's Priory next to the church.[5]

Denis was asked by the Bishop of Southwark to build a 'miniature French cathedral'. An appeal for funds spread to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. On 29 May 1875, the foundation stone of the church was laid.[1]

Priory

The priory was built in 1869 and housed 36 nuns. In 1871,

Dominican Sisters moved into the priory and started a refuge for girls. Eventually the orphanage and refuge merged. In 1903, it was called St Joseph's and from 1909 to 1922, it became St Mary's, before closing by 1933.[5] From 1935, the premises were occupied by the St Thomas More School, a Catholic school for boys run by the Presentation Brothers. The brothers left in 1977, the school closed in 1984 and the building was later demolished.[6]

Construction

The church was designed by John A. Crawley who was also the architect of the Church of the Sacred Heart in Hove. On 27 June 1876, the church was opened. At that stage it consisted of the nave and aisles. Crawley's original plan for the church included transepts, a choir for the nuns, and a tower with spire. However, Crawley died in 1881 and did not see the rest of his plans finished.[7]

From 1880 onwards, annual pilgrimages were made every July from the

Archdiocese of Southwark from then separate pilgrimages were made by parishes, groups and individuals from the new diocese. From 1887 to 1889, Francis Bourne was curate at the church. He later became Archbishop of Westminster and a cardinal.[4]

In 1896, under the direction of the architect Frederick Walters, the sanctuary, side chapels and bell turret were added to the church. The aisles were also raised. The church was re-opened on 14 July 1896.[1]

Additions

In 1953, the writer and historian

Riley & Glanfield.[7]

On 31 October 2012, the philanthropist Nona Byrne died. She was also buried in the church.

Gallery

  • Our Lady of Consolation painting
    Our Lady of Consolation painting
  • Church interior
    Church interior
  • Hilaire Belloc's grave
    Hilaire Belloc's grave

Parish

Corpus Christi Church, Henfield, part of the same parish as the shrine church

Within the

St. Hugh's Charterhouse, Parkminster
.

The shrine church has Mass at 6:00pm on Saturday evening and at 10:30am on Sunday. The parish of Corpus Christi Church in Henfield is served from West Grinstead and it has Sunday Mass at 9:00am.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Church of Our Lady of Consolation and St Francis from Historic England, retrieved 25 June 2017
  2. ^
    Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
    , retrieved 25 June 2017
  3. ^ West Grinstead: Manors and other estates from British History Online, retrieved 17 July 2017
  4. ^ a b West Grinstead: Roman Catholicism from British History Online, retrieved 25 June 2017
  5. ^ a b West Grinstead from British History Online, retrieved 17 July 2017
  6. ^ St Thomas More School, West Grinstead from ChildrensHomes.org.uk, retrieved 17 July 2017
  7. ^ a b West Grinstead - Our Lady of Consolation and St Francis from Taking Stock by Historic England, retrieved 25 June 2017

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shrine_of_Our_Lady_of_Consolation&oldid=1223321132"