Parish Profile - Copenhagen Street by RCWestminster

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Parish Profile

Westminster Record | July 2015

Copenhagen Street: A Resilient Community By Hannah Woolley As I walk up to Copenhagen Street from Kings Cross, I am unsure what to expect from my visit to the Church of the Blessed Sacrament. Copenhagen Street has no resident Parish Priest and is served from Islington by Mgr Seamus O’Boyle, Fr Martin Plunkett and Fr Lawrence Milby. Most parishes are shaped by the Parish Priest who is at the heart of the community, but this guiding figure is not present in the same way as in other parishes. The church is a five minute walk down Copenhagen Street, not far from the building developments behind Kings Cross Station and the canal. The area around the church has high levels of social deprivation, and a large amount of social housing. During World War II the area behind Kings Cross was devastated and only recently have new developments begun to revitalise what was a seemingly forgotten area. The parish has a large South American and African community, particularly Eritreans, while older generations in the area tend to be Irish. Mgr Seamus describes the local population as

transitory; many people settle here when they first arrive in London, but cannot afford to stay for a great length of time. However, there is a core parish community and Mgr Seamus tells me that Sunday Mass attendance is consistently around 200 and that the 11am Mass is particularly lively. The church was opened by Cardinal Bourne in June 1916 and celebrates its 100th anniversary next year. Over the past century the church building has gone through many changes, including an extension in 1959 which almost doubled its size, though this has been reversed in the succeeding years. The former presbytery has recently been renovated by the Brothers of St John of God, and will be used as the next step for people supported by their project, Olallo House, which helps newly-arrived migrants who have no recourse to public funds to prevent them falling into homelessness. The parish and then Parish Priest, Fr Jim Kennedy, were instrumental in the pastoral care following the Kings Cross fire that killed 31 people in November 1987. Fr Jim coordinated care across the

The plaque remembering those who died in the Kings Cross fire of 1989

The altar of Copenhagen Street parish with its wooden beamed roof

faith communities with the emergency services, a response which was renewed again after the July 2005 terrorist attacks. The parish still remembers those who died in a gathering and Mass of Commemoration each year, and a plaque at the back of the church names all 31 victims of the fire. Blessed Sacrament Primary School, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year (see page 8), is a real asset to the parish and supports many children and families through a variety of social outreach projects, such as Magic Breakfasts and the MPACT Plus project, which supports children whose parents are victims of addiction. In recognition of the work at the school, the Duchess of Cambridge and John Bishop visited last year to learn about the MPACT Plus project and to check on its progress. Magic Breakfast works in schools where over 35% of children receive free school meals to provide children with a healthy, filling breakfast which will improve their concentration, behaviour and attainment throughout the day. Copenhagen Street is very fortunate to be supported by two School Sisters of Notre Dame who arrived in the parish

around six years ago. Sr Miriam is the pastoral assistant and provides invaluable support to the parish, particularly given that there is no resident priest. She organises many activities including coffee mornings for mothers from the primary school and a Filipino group that meets each month for a social event. These may seem like small, simple actions, but they are valuable to the community and give parishioners an opportunity to meet other people and support each other. After I had visited the parish, I spoke to Sr Miriam about her experience and involvement there. She spoke very fondly of the community, and believes that they show a growing sense of confidence and commitment to take on responsibility because there is no resident Parish Priest to drive and sustain parish groups. There hasn’t been a resident priest for six years and, recognising the reality of this situation, the core community provides the stability needed within the parish. Sr Miriam introduced a survey to the parish called ‘Time and Talent’ asking parishioners what they could offer and what things they would like to see introduced at Copenhagen Street. There is a

desire to forge greater links between the school and the parish, and there has already been a choir and craft event attended by pupils of Blessed Sacrament, which culminated in the children leading the singing at the Sunday Mass. Through small initiatives like this momentum and enthusiasm is building amongst the community and the parish is hosting a party of appreciation for parish volunteers, of whom there are around 50. Sr Miriam believes that the call of the parish is to keep strengthening the core community and to take on greater responsibility to build up and strengthen the parish as a whole. Copenhagen Street may not be large, but it has shown resilience as a community in the face of great change over the past six years, which is a reflection of the parishioners’ commitment to their faith and the work of Sr Miriam and Sr Rosemary. Founded: 1916 Mass Times: 8.30, 11 (Family, Sung) Address: 157 Copenhagen Street N1 0SR Telephone: 020 7226 3277 Website: parish.rcdow.org.uk/ copenhagenstreet Page 13