A DOUBLE celebration

Ken Vance SJ and Tom McGuinness SJ draw the blueprints of the historic Jesuit buildings in Liverpool and North Wales, respectively, that celebrate their 175th anniversaries this year.

St Francis Xavier

The Jesuit presence in Liverpool since the second half of the seventeenth century was only interrupted by the suppression of the Society in 1773. In 1840, a group of men met in the Rose and Crown pub to discuss the establishment of a church and school staffed by the Society and dedicated to St Francis Xavier (SFX). By 1842 the college was open, and the following year building of the church began, opening in December 1848. Although it could hold over 1,500 people it was soon too small for the influx of Catholics following the Irish famine. In 1883 the Sodality Chapel was added, and there have since been many more additions to the church, described as ’the most moving repository of Victorian Catholic art in the country’.

Over the next century, the parish continued to flourish until, by the time of WWII, it was the largest Catholic parish in England with over 13,000 Catholics. At its peak, a Jesuit community of over thirty priests, brothers and scholastics served the needs of both parish and college.

Following the war, a drive to replace the slums in the area threatened the demolition of the church itself. A national campaign ensured its future and in recent years, the parish has experienced an influx of new parishioners and continues to bustle with life.

SFX is associated with such people as Gerard Manley Hopkins, Charlie Chaplin, Archbishops Thomas Roberts and Paul Gallagher, two recipients of the Victoria Cross, playwright Jimmy McGovern and many more.

In December, the church will celebrate its 175th anniversary. Sadly, by then it will no longer be served by the Society of Jesus. After Easter the parish will be transferred to Liverpool Archdiocese and hundreds of years of Jesuit presence in Liverpool will end.

According to tradition, Fr Randall Lythgoe SJ rounded Maenefa Hill on his horse and exclaimed: ‘This is where we will build our college!’ He saw a place of great beauty, which it still is today. St Beuno’s overlooks the Clwyd Valley and across to the far Welsh mountains. The stars, sun, rain and clear air provide a stunning setting, witnessed by generations of Jesuit theology students, including Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Gradually the original Joseph Hansom building of 1848 was extended to accommodate the growing number of students. However, by 1926, theology studies were relocated to Heythrop College in Oxfordshire and two new groups of Jesuits made St Beuno’s their home. Some were doing their final formation before moving to apostolates of teaching and parish work; and older Jesuits now needing care after generous years of ministry came to rest and retire.

By the 1970s the house was becoming the internationally known spirituality centre it is today, welcoming a wide range of people for retreats to help them recognise God at work in their lives. A programme of training also ensures that there will continue to be women and men able to offer the experience of St Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises, currently a priority of the Jesuits worldwide.

The college has always had good contacts with local people and parishes. This continues as St Beuno’s supports the independent Wrexham Diocese Outreach Team to offer retreats in daily life.

A substantial phase of building work has been completed, providing a new kitchen, conference rooms and bedrooms for this vibrant centre with its team of lay women and men and a Jesuit community all committed to working together. Our hope is that many who come on retreat can recognise God in all things and become truly men and women for others.