Parish Profile Fulham Road

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Parish Profile

Westminster Record | October 2014

Our Lady of Dolours, Fulham Road By Chris O’Callaghan Mention ‘The Fulham Road’ to a football fan and they will say one thing: Chelsea FC. The famous West London street has become synonymous with the club. We always see fans in prayer at times of great tension and drama. But if you are seeking some divine inspiration before entering the famous Stamford Bridge stadium, you might want to walk a bit further along the road to visit the Church of Our Lady of Dolours. The parish is administered by eight Servite Friars led by Fr Pat Ryall, an Irishman from County Cork, now in his third stint as Parish Priest at Our Lady’s – ‘third time lucky’, he tells parishioners. The Servites first came to this area of London in 1864, but it was another ten years before they began to build a church in the garden of their new priory. The foundation stone was blessed by Archbishop Manning in 1874 and opened the following year by the then-Cardinal. Walking along the Fulham Road, though, you would be forgiven for missing the church entirely. Although the entrance to the property is on the street, the church building itself is set back from the road and largely hidden. To find the church, you walk along a colonnade before entering the narthex.

The church is larger than you would assume from street level and is both large and high. Recent renovation of the stonework has made it bright and welcoming, but your eye will be drawn to the various pieces of artwork and sculpture which would be the envy of many parishes. Chief among these is a replica of Michelangelo’s famous Pieta which sits at the back of the church. It is almost the same size as the original in St Peter’s in Rome and Fr Pat explained how it captures the greatest aspect of the Order’s charism. He described how the Marian spirituality of the Order gives the Friars a great sense of compassion, like Mary at the foot of the Cross, which the sculpture captures perfectly. Although called Fulham Road, the parish is actually in the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. These names naturally conjure images of wealth although Fr Pat is keen to point out the ‘cosmopolitan’ make-up of the parish today, in contrast to his first appointment here in the 1970s. There is a large Filipino and West African community and a large Spanish contingent also, which celebrates Mass in Spanish on a Sunday. As a reflection of the changing nature of the parish, Fr Pat says that in the 1970s this Mass

Interior of Our Lady of Dolours, Fulham Road Page 12

Parish Priest Fr Pat Ryall with the replica of Michelangelo’s famous Pieta statue at the back of the Church.

was principally for people from mainland Spain; however, there are now many South Americans present. Although there is a variety of financial circumstances among parishioners, he is keen to stress that in the parish everyone is treated equally and financial wealth is left at the door. Fr Pat is proud that the parish is deeply involved in the Servite Primary School, which is just a stone’s throw from the church. Students often serve on the altar or sing in the choir, with parents and teachers taking an active part in parish life. He commended the staff for their efforts in passing on the faith with such diligence and dedication, even to non-Catholics who are interested. In September the parish celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding and the arrival of the Servites. Cardinal Vincent led celebrations on Sunday 14 September with over 500 parishioners filling the church.

Concelebrating were the friars of Fulham Road and 24 other members of the Order from across the world who have leadership roles, including Priors Provincial. On Monday 15, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Prior General, Fr Gottfried Wolff OSM, celebrated a special Mass at the parish. Father Pat said he felt a great sense of pride that the leaders of the Order to which he has dedicated over 40 years of his life were present to mark the momentous anniversary in the parish he has served for over 20 years. I asked Fr Pat at the end of our conversation what he thought was the greatest challenge in the future. He paused for a long time and thought deeply before saying: ‘We must keep the flame of faith alive in an ever more secular city. We must constantly be connecting with those in our parish and re-connecting with those who have fallen away from it’.

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Our Lady of Sorrows with a dagger in her heart. Representations of Our Lady of Sorrows normally have 7 daggers to represent Mary’s sorrows.

Founded: 1864 Consecrated: 1953 Mass Times: (Sat 6.30pm), 8.30, 10 (Family), 11.15 (Spanish), 12.15pm, 7pm Address: St Mary’s Priory, 264 Fulham Road, SW10 9EL Telephone: 020 7352 6965 Website: www.servitechurch.org

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