Parish Profile - Somers Town

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Parish Profile

Westminster Record June 2013

Somers Town: A History of Change By Alex Balzanella

been made to build an entirely new church just a short distance away. The new church was one of the first built after the Second Vatican Council, meaning that the spirit of the Council was very much represented in the church. Fr Michael explained that “it achieves what the Second Vatican Council set out to achieve. When Mass is being celebrated the altar is very much the

With the official opening of the new Diocesan Centre for Youth Ministry by Archbishop Vincent Nichols on 14 May, I went down to join the young people at its base at St Aloysius, Somers Town. The evening held a catechesis on sex and sexuality delivered by the Archbishop and included performances by musician Edwin Fawcett who has been invited to perform at World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro this summer. Here he profiles the many changes at the parish and centre. Prior to my visit to St Aloysius I investigated the history of the parish and discovered that it is one of the oldest in the diocese, founded in 1808. As a result I was somewhat shocked at the modernist architecture of the church. Parish Priest Fr Michael O’Boy explained that the previous focal point and the Blessed church had been too small and had Sacrament, while still central, is to become dilapidated. A decision had the side.” What is true of the building development is also true of the church community. Fr Michael said that, “The parish has always been well attended but it also reflects the transitional nature of life in London – many come who are on the move and starting out with new lives in the city.” This is in part because the parish has traditionally served migrant communities: French, Spanish, Irish and African communities have been worshipping here at different times. Furthermore its close proximity to Euston, King’s Cross and St Pancras railway stations means that the parish also serves a community of commuters.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols & Fr Michael O’Boy

As well as three railway stations the parish also plays a unique host to three religious communities: Faithful Companions of Jesus, Poor Servants of the Mother of God and Consolata Missionary Sisters. “These sisters are an important and vibrant part of life of the parish and witness to the value of religious life, prayer and fidelity.”

new hall our Sunday morning coffee has really come to life. Catechesis is now able to be based in the parish and the Ghanaian chaplaincy has used it for day retreats. Our hope is that with this new facility more and more groups will be able to take

advantage of it and flourish as a result.” “What this partnership did was enable the parish to give the space a new lease of life.” As well as being parish priest Fr Michael is responsible for overseeing diocesan youth provision. This means he has a particular belief in the importance of the work being done by the Youth Ministry: “Central to the life of our parishes are our young people, so developing parish based youth ministry is an important part of helping our young people reach full Christian maturity and become meaningfully involved in the life of the parish.” For the catechesis delivered by Archbishop Vincent Nichols go to: http://wym.rcdow.org.uk/news/ you-believe-with-thearchbishop/

A New Lease of Life Over the last few years not only the parish but the church buildings themselves have been witnessing change and transformation. In November 2010 the Diocese of Westminster announced that St Aloysius would be the base of the new Centre for Youth Ministry. The organisation and rebuilding of the parish hall as the new youth ministry was a mammoth undertaking with the work being completed in 2012. Fr Michael spoke about the benefits of the investment in the new centre to the parish community: “With the

The parish’s stain glass windows & font

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