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Parish Profile
Westminster Record | September 2015
White City: A Very Prayerful Parish By Alex Balzanella When referring to the Olympic Village most Londoners today will think of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on the eastern edges of London. However, the original Olympic stadium of 1908 was in West London, in the area now known as White City. After the Olympics the White City Estate was built, with street names from countries that had featured in the exhibitions held at the stadium following the Games. Our Lady of Fatima Church sits at the heart of the estate, with Our Lady herself looking out from above the west doors. Although I visited on a weekday the church had around 20 people gathered for Morning Prayer, with more joining them for Mass. Afterwards I spoke with Fr Richard Nesbitt, Parish Priest of White City for two years, and Pat, a long-standing parishioner and volunteer at the Church. Sleeping in the Confessional Although at the heart of the estate, the Parish was only formed in 1955, with just five Parish Priests in its 60 years. In spite of its recent foundation the parish has plenty of history and each of the priests, Fr Richard tells me, has left his mark. Fr Thomas Daniel was the first, and oversaw the building of the school and
Our Lady of Fatima
parish church. Indeed he did so quite literally, as he slept in the confessional in the parish hall for three years whilst the church and presbytery were being built. It was he who sought the dedication of the new church in White City to Our Lady of Fatima, since he had a strong personal devotion to her. Pat told me about the first pilgrimage the parish made to Fatima in 1967, a 15-day coach trip that went via Lourdes and was far from a comfortable ride. Nevertheless it was a huge success, and since then the parish has repeated it each decade, most recently earlier this year to mark the parish’s Jubilee celebrations. Celebrations Coming Together The 60th anniversary of the parish and the 50th of Our Lady of Fatima Church and Pope John XXIII Primary School have been marked in numerous ways. These have included a parish renewal campaign, which gave people the chance to grow in their understanding of the faith using CaFE faith resources and Catholic Alpha, and the mostrecent pilgrimage to Fatima. This year of festivity and thanksgiving concludes with Mass celebrated by Cardinal Vincent on 19 September. Fr Richard tells me that the anniversary has brought a lot of people back to the parish who had moved away: ‘Although their lives and the area have changed, it’s home for them,’ he said. Within the White City estate, Pope John XXIII School, in particular, has acted as a real source of stability and unity for the whole community. From September 2016 the school will be two-form entry to provide the extra places that are much in demand in the local area. It will also be renamed St John XXIII Primary, acknowledging the late Pontiff’s Canonisation in 2013. A Real Hunger for Faith The school may have been an anchor in the community but the area around it has seen much change in its history. Of late this corner of West
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Fr Richard Nesbitt and Fr Ephrem Andom, the Eritrean chaplain, with parishioners at weekday Mass
London has undergone a degree of gentrification, most notably with the building of the Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush. In spite of such developments the parish, in parallel with the school’s work, has retained its identity and integrity through the dedication of its prayer life. For example, Fr John Hemer MHM, a Formation Advisor at Allen Hall Seminary, has given reflections in the parish for 20 years. Parishioners also come together every day to say the Rosary and there are regular Christian meditation meetings in the church. As Fr Richard notes, ‘there is a real hunger for faith here.’ Our Lady of Fatima remains a bedrock for its people and a witness to the constant truth of the Catholic Church.
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The Annual Procession in honour of Our Lady of Willesden will be held on Sunday 11 October. Beginning at 7pm from Our Lady of Willesden Church, the candlelit procession will witness to our faith as we walk through the streets and pray for Our Lady’s protection of our city. It will end at around 8.30pm with a time of Adoration and Benediction. For more information, please contact Fr Stephen Willis, Rector of the Willesden Shrine: willesden@rcdow.org.uk. Founded: 1951 Mass Times: (Sat 7pm), 11, 6pm (Sign interpreted on 3rd Sunday) Address: Commonwealth Avenue, White City, W12 7QR Telephone: 020 8743 8334 Website: www.ourladyoffatima.biz Page 9