Parish Profile - Notre Dame de France by RCWestminster

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Parish Profile

Westminster Record | June 2015

NDF: Leicester Square’s Secret ‘Pantheon’ Leicester Square: the glitz, the glamour, the nightclubs, the cinema, the street entertainers...and the Catholic Church? By Chris O’Callaghan You may have been to Leicester Square many times, yet not noticed Notre Dame de France Church on Leicester Place just north of the Square. The narrow entrance between a building site and a theatre entrance is easily missed but for the large white statue of Our Lady over the door. The church proper is fascinating, being completely round and topped by a dome through which light pours. It is comparable to the Pantheon in Rome, though smaller and without a hole in the roof. On its east wall there is no crucifix, but an Aubusson tapestry designed by Benedictine Dom Robert de Chaunac, which attracts your eye upon entering. The building was not designed as a church. When Cardinal Wiseman recognised the needs of the French Catholic community in London in the 1860s, Fr Faure was able to purchase the lease of a disused tourist attraction called the Panorama and a temporary chapel was consecrated in December 1865. The completed church was then consecrated in June 1868. In November 1940, two bombs hit the church and exploded in the crypt, completely

blowing it apart. Miraculously no-one was injured, especially as the priests would regularly shelter in the crypt during air raids listening to the radio; on that night though, the radio was not working and they had found shelter elsewhere, thus saving their lives. The church was rebuilt and reconsecrated by Cardinal Feltin, Archbishop of Paris, in October 1955. I met Fr Paul Walsh SM, an Irish Marist who serves as parish priest. The Marists have had an almost constant presence in the parish since 1865 apart from a break between 1987 and 1992. There are currently six Marists in community at Notre Dame: two Frenchmen, a Senegalese, an Englishman, a New Zealander and an Irishman. The expression of the Order is to be ‘hidden and even unknown in the world’ with their charism and inspiration coming from Mary who kept a low profile and was humble in the Gospel. Fr Paul cites the example of the wedding at Cana: Mary tells the servants to get the water into the jars and then lets Jesus act as she withdraws from view. The congregation has greatly changed since the founding of

the parish. Originally it was dominated by native French people, but the breakup of the British and French Empires in the 1960s has brought many people from Francophone African countries. The main Sunday Mass congregation consists of between 55-60% African French and 35% native French, with the remaining 5% English or other nationalities. The growth of ethnic French-speaking chaplaincies in the Diocese, such as the Congolese chaplaincy, has seen some parishioners move away, but Notre Dame remains a crucial part of the French connection. The Marists currently provide catechesis in eight French schools in London, using schools, parish halls and even people’s homes for classes. It is the biggest French school chaplaincy in the world outside France ministering to over 900 students. In addition, around 150 couples attend French language marriage preparation at Notre Dame every year; there are two baptismal celebrations a month and in April there were two celebrations of Confirmation because the church is not large enough for all the candidates. The Masses were celebrated by Bishop Renaud de Dinechin, an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Paris, but were once celebrated by Cardinal Hume in French, his mother’s native tongue. As well as the work of sacramental preparation for the French community, Notre Dame leads social outreach in Central London. It was the first Catholic church to host a night shelter through Churches Together in Westminster and each Saturday feeds over 120 people in its soup kitchen. At the start of April, Brother Ivan counted over 200 people being fed in one night. Its refugee centre next door provides a clothing depot, legal advice on housing and benefits, a clinic and health centre, English language classes, computer lessons, theatre and art and crafts workshops, and employment advice in conjunction with the LSE. The centre is funded principally through the generosity of the Marists and parishioners, and staffed by volunteers. As other centres are

closing due to financial constraints, it has become increasingly busy with those seeking help. The church doors are open from 9am to 9pm all year round and there is a constant stream of people coming and going. Notre Dame is also noted for evangelisation, hosting the annual Spirit in the City Festival in June (see page 4) and Night Church twice a month, when people are invited to come in and light a candle or take a few moments of quiet away from the madness of the Square. This year the parish celebrates its 150th anniversary with a programme of special events. The most recent was the ‘feast of music’ Grand Community Concert with music from many genres: classical, African choir, Taizé, African Gospel and charismatic songs. By the end there were around 100 people dancing around the Sanctuary!

The celebrations culminate with Mass in December celebrated by Cardinal Vincent alongside the Marist Superior General and other French priests and bishops. This parish profile ends with a tinge of sadness, as Fr Paul will be leaving Notre Dame in June after 13 years over two stints to return to his native Dublin. He leaves behind a parish full of life with notable pastoral and evangelising outreach. ‘I’ll never find anything like it again’, he told me. On behalf of the Record and staff of the Diocese, we all wish you Au Revoir and Bonne Chance in the future. It is clear that your ministry will be much missed. Founded: 1865 Mass Times: (Sat 6pm), 10, 11.30 - all in French Address: 5 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Telephone: 020 7437 9363 Website: www.ndfchurch.org Page 9