Parish Profile
Westminster Record July 2011
St Patrick’s Church, Soho Square
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The love of God, unconditionally into eternity, is a journey all of us are called to Reopening its doors
By Jo-Anne Rowney For a church that plays such an important role in the community, the entrance to St Patrick’s Church is very unassuming. Walking through the streets of Soho surrounded by bright lights, party music and numerous watering holes, the casual passerby could be forgiven for missing the small portico that leads to one of the oldest Catholic churches in London. Take the time to look inside, however, and you’ll be met with a stunning, newly renovated church. St Patrick’s was the first church in England to be built after the Reformation, founded in 1792. During this period the Catholic population in London doubled, so much so that within ten years London’s total regular Mass goers had grown to 150,000 a week. For many years the majority of St Patrick’s parishioners were poor Irish, but more recently the church has welcomed residents of many other European countries leading to Mass being celebrated every week not only in English but Spanish, Portuguese and Cantonese. For the past year, however, Masses have been celebrated in the dining room of the presbytery while parishioners waited patiently for major refurbishment work to the church, costing £3 million, to be completed.
Fr Alexander Sherbrooke with the newest member of the parish team, Ambrose.
St Patrick’s reopened its doors on 31 May 2011. The reopening came as a relief to parish priest Fr Alexander Sherbrooke. 600 people attended the reopening Mass, 170 were at Vespers, and 200 people attended the Mass of the Ascension. James Conley, Auxiliary Bishop of Denver, and Cardinal Pell from Sydney came over to England to join in the celebrations. Fr Alexander said: “They loved being here and said these had been some of the most wonderful days of their lives. People have just been happy to be Catholic.” Those who have visited St Patrick’s before will understand why the change was so important. Carpets had faded, wallpaper was peeling and the ‘smell of humanity’ lingered in the air. Now the church is a beautiful testimony to the work it does – light, bright and clean. Fr Alexander said: “People have spoken so clearly about the beauty of the church. People have come up to me and said ‘Wow, now we have a Church in Soho where we can belong and can come and adore the Lord. Thanks Father’. When I’ve been watching people come in to pray, there is a tremendous sense of peace. After years of labour and moneyraising people feel that they can commune with God in this place. The love of God, unconditionally into eternity, is a journey all of us are called to. This is now shown at St Patrick’s church in a remarkable way.”
A need for light One of Fr Alexander’s first moves when he arrived as parish priest nine years ago was to set up Eucharistic Adoration. He explained: “In a place like Soho there is a need to create light, so Eucharistic Adoration is important to St Patrick’s. It acts as a centre to all we do. People can come and be curious and look and see what you are adoring. It draws people in.” It is this attitude that influences all the parish’s other activities. These range from helping the homeless to evangelising and youth work. St Patrick’s is home to St Patrick’s Evangelisation School (or SPES, the Latin for “hope”). Students take to the streets to spread the word and evangelise. They speak to people about their faith, offering prayers to those that pass.
From September SPES will be based in the new community centre that will also be home to Open House, which runs every Thursday providing meals for the homeless. St Patrick’s was built two centuries ago with the pennies of the poor, now the poor come to St Patrick’s for help, comfort and a welcoming face.
A centre for evangelisation Fr Alexander tells me that St Patrick’s is “not just about attracting people who are Catholic”. Quoting Matthew 28:19 he says: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” and reminds me it is our “duty to open our arms” to all who wish to come to church. “Soho is a very busy part of London and there are an enormous amount of people. We live in a cosmopolitan city and it is important that people find a way into the church, even more so that they find a welcome here,” he explains. There is clearly an emphasis on evangelising at St Patrick’s. With SPES, outreach projects and a welcoming attitude I ask Fr Alexander how important is the parish’s role as a centre of evangelising. He says: “I always say the Catholic Church has to be more zealous in evangelisation. St Patrick’s Church and congregation has given us a great confidence to do that.” More and more people are recognising the role St Patrick’s is playing in the New Evangelisation a new movement aiming to strengthen and renew our faith in a secular world. As part of the reopening week celebrations George Weigel, an American author famous for his work on John Paul II, gave a private lecture at St Patrick’s. Weigel said: “The Church is a mission. Everything the Church does, the Church does to propose Jesus Christ as the answer to the question that is every human life. Everything the Church does, the Church does in order to offer friendship with Jesus Christ as the true means of satisfying the deepest longings of the human heart.” Fr Alexander hopes this will be reflected at St Patrick’s in the continuing work of the parish. “St Patrick’s hopes to be more of a focus for opportunities for helping people deepen knowledge in faith and teaching,” he says. “We want this to be a place that can give both pastoral outreach and feed the soul.” In this mission St Patrick’s is already a shining example. With a strong commitment to outreach and a deep spiritual centring to all they do, St Patrick’s will hopefully remain a parish at the forefront of evangelising for many centuries to come.
St Patrick’s Church interior (above) and the small portico (right)
Archbishop Vincent Nichols at the blessing of St Patrick’s Church and the Rededication Mass
For more information For more information on St Patrick’s Church, its work or volunteering visit www.stpatricksoho.org or call 020 7437 2010 or email info@stpatricksoho.org Mass times Weekdays 12.45pm, Saturday Vigil 4pm (Portuguese), 6pm Sunday 11am (Traditional Music), 2.15pm (Cantonese), 5pm (Gospel Music), 6pm (Spanish) Confession Weekdays 12.15pm - 12.40pm, Saturday 5.30pm 6pm Morning & Evening Prayer 8.00 am and 5.45pm Adoration Weekdays 1.30pm 6pm, Saturday 7pm - 9pm Page 9