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The Mother Church of the Catholic community of
Weston-super-Mare, Saint Joseph’s is one of the oldest in the Diocese of
Clifton. When it was built, in 1858, the nearest other Catholic church was
eighteen miles away in Bridgwater. |
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In the
five decades from 1800 to 1850 the original population of 163, mainly
farmers and fishermen, had increased to 4,000. The main cause was tourism
which is still important to the town today. |
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The first
record of a Catholic presence in the area since the Reformation dates from
1806 when a Franciscan, Fr O’Farrell, preached at a cottage in the High
Street. The town developed as a popular Victorian holiday resort and
during the summer months Jesuit priests came on Sundays and Holydays to
preside at Mass in the Assembly Rooms in Regent Street which later became
the Railway Hotel. |
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The first
resident priest was Fr Van de Voorde who arrived in 1854, but it was Fr
William Pippet who was the first priest-in-charge of St Joseph’s from
1858. The foundation stone had been laid by Bishop Clifford in 1855 on
land given by Joseph Ruscombe Poole. The chapels of Our Lady and St Joseph
were added later, as was the presbytery and the sacristy. |
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In 1898
the La Retraite Sisters opened a school in Quarry Road. In the beginning
it was a stern test of faith and perseverance for the sisters. In addition
to being pelted with mud by local roughs, only one pupil arrived for class
on the first day. However, their faith was rewarded and the numbers began
to grow steadily. The school moved to Carlton Street where it was used as
a Mass centre. |
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As time
went by St Joseph’s became too small to accommodate the increasing
Catholic population and in 1921 a small chapel was opened in Carlton
Street and given the title of Corpus Christi. This eventually grew into
the present parish of Corpus Christi in Ellenborough Park South where the
church was opened in 1929. |
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It was
not until 1958, as part of the centenary celebrations, that the church was
consecrated by Bishop Rudderham.
The
panels in the reredos of the High Altar were painted by Dom Theodore Baily
OSB, monk of Farnborough Abbey, to commemorate the centenary. |
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A
painting “The Adoration of the Shepherds” once thought to be by Pittoni
(1687 – 1767), but now regarded as Flemish, used to hang in the church. It
is now on the south wall of the chancel in St Catherine, Chipping Campden.
The
parish hall was opened and blessed by Bishop Alexander in February 1999.
With
acknowledgements to Rev J A Harding and Valerie Anglin. |
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