Almost there!

Fr Armand de Malleray reports on the success of the Priory Campaign and asks readers to help complete the purchase of a centre that will help secure the future of the Church in England

By God’s grace, through the generosity and prayers of many, and against serious odds, the large building of Priory Court, near St Mary’s Church in Warrington, has been purchased by the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter last autumn. As Mass of Ages readers may recall, the Priory Campaign was launched in the summer 2018 to convert two office buildings to pastoral use.

Formerly owned by Ampleforth Abbey, like St Mary’s Church and Presbytery, these two further buildings of sympathetic Georgian style are part of the same architectural compound. While in the end we could not afford buying both of them, we happily secured the larger of the two.

A gate through our garden wall and a paved walkway were added, connecting the new building and its adjacent car park to our existing property. It is with great joy that our growing traditional community can now expand towards that new site, which already provides us with a much-needed parish hall and conference room.

Our Wednesday educational activities take place there, as well as our weekly twenty-strong men’s group. Last Christmas, an audience of sixty comfortably sat in the larger room to attend a Nativity play performed by our talented children. Everyone at St Mary’s gives thanks for the opportunities offered by the new building to our pastoral activities.

Our Priory Campaign total currently sits at around £600,000 plus some Gift Aid to be claimed. But the new building cost £240,000 per unit - that is £720,000 in total. We are now legal owners of two thirds (Units 2 & 3), but we still need money to buy the last third (Unit 1). Thankfully, we have already raised £105,000 out of £240,000, leaving only £135,000 to find by October 2020 , when our free lease on Unit 1 will end. While there is no risk whatsoever that we may lose the two units already owned by us, it would be a great pity not to be able to buy the last unit. Completing the purchase of Priory Court makes every sense now that two thirds of the same building is ours, while we already use the last third for free.

Dr Joseph Shaw, Chairman of the Latin Mass Society wrote: “The priests of the Fraternity of St Peter successfully reintroduced the Church’s ancient Latin liturgy to St Mary’s, Warrington, when they were entrusted with this church by the Archdiocese of Liverpool in 2015. The existing congregation has received this liturgy with great interest and devotion, and it has attracted others from far and wide. The FSSP are able to hear confessions, to offer all the sacraments, to give spiritual direction to all who desire it, to instruct and receive converts, to foster vocations, and to publish a magazine devoted to their apostolate. This great and growing work now requires larger premises, and it seems providential that former parish buildings have become available for purchase. I support their Priory Campaign of fundraising to provide their apostolic zeal with the ambitious setting needed for many more English Catholics, lapsed and converts, to discover the riches of tradition.”

Some further prominent Catholics lent their official support to our 2018 Priory Campaign, including Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Maria Haynes of the National Association of Catholic Families, Robin Haig of SPUC, Robert Colquhoun of 40 Days for Life, Clare McCullough of the Good Counsel Network, and Viscountess Ashbrook of Arley Hall.

They understood that there is more to this undertaking than stones. Priory Court is an investment in the future of the Church in England. If one realises that, before our arrival, the wealthy Abbey of Ampleforth had sold these buildings for want of monks to man this parish (later relinquishing St Mary’s Church itself), one will appreciate the manifesto of hope our purchase expresses.

The comparatively small Catholic traditional movement in this country is growing. It is able to bring back for the good of souls former parish buildings sadly turned into offices. More and more families, grandparents and single people realise that the Roman traditions of the Church answer all needs, even in modern times. The Priory Court achievement at Warrington is about building up a strong fully-fledged traditional community. But as for any Catholic community in this country, our purpose cannot simply be to cater for the happy few. All of us bemoan the collapse of the faith across the land. Completing the purchase of Priory Court will allow us to be more pro-active, and to reach out to souls either lapsed or ignorant of Christ and his Church.

This has already started, with a surprising number of adults knocking at our door ‘out of nowhere’ to seek instruction, the sacraments and guidance. Meanwhile, for want of bedrooms, we are unrolling mattresses for the nine young men coming to attend our Vocation Discernment weekend this month; and we must keep some people on waiting lists for our various retreats and recollections in several pastoral centres. There is every reason for the traditional movement to become endowed with larger facilities such as Priory Court. This should become a place where good doctrinal conferences, liturgical training sessions, pro-life events and family gathering are held. As to priestly ordinations, thank God and our Archbishop, we have had them twice here already; but you will surely agree that we cannot rely further on the nearby Salvation Army Hall for the following reception - they will not allow wine!

So please help us complete the purchase and secure a strong traditional hub and community in the North West. May the many martyrs of England who died in this region obtain this from God’s mercy and from our benefactors’ charity. All our priests and seminarians assure you of our prayer this New Year.

To donate

1. Please make the cheque or bank transfer payable to ‘FSSP ENGLAND’

2. Please mention ‘Priory Campaign’ on the bank transfer or cheque if applicable

3. Are you a tax payer? Help us maximise your donation through Gift Aid. (Ask us for a form: warrington@fssp.org).

FSSP ENGLAND is a registered charity: number 1129964.

Bank Name: Lloyds Bank Sort Code: 30-93-04 Account number: 02027225 Account name: FSSP England

For international transfers, you may also need: Bank Branch: Palmerston Rd Southsea Bank Address: Ariel House, 2138 Coventry Road, Sheldon, B26 3JW IBAN: GB09LOYD30930402027225 SWIFT code: LOYDGB21361

Please send your cheque and any correspondence to

Priory Campaign, FSSP, St Mary’s Priory, Smith Street, Warrington WA1 2NS, Cheshire, England