SOME PARTS OF THE CHURCH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A parish church is where all the people can be gathered for the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. The altar as where the Eucharist is celebrated.

The first part of the celebration of the Mass is teaching the word of God. At the ambo, readers read from the Old Testament and the New Testament: the Priest proclaims the Gospel and then preaches a homily.

At the Easter Vigil each year, the Paschal Candle is blessed. During Eastertide it stands next to the ambo. At Baptisms, it stands near the font. At funerals, it is close to the coffin.

The window above the tabernacle is a copy of a famous picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

The following entry dated 13th May 1900 [the Fourth Sunday after Easter] appears in the notice book for that period in the parish archives:

This evening there will be procession in honour of our Blessed Lady. Wed: Service. The collection for stained glass window and Church decorations will be made at the door today after the Services. I would ask those for whom it may not be convenient at present to contribute to mention the amount they are willing to give to Mr. Power; and make their offering afterwards when it is convenient. But I hope all the members of the congregation: will contribute so that [they] can say they have had a part in the decoration of the Church. This evening the subject of our stained glass window will also be the subject of the sermon – viz “Our Lady of Perpetual Succour”. I hope you will all try and come this evening, as I may mention that the principal object I have in putting in the window was, not so much to beautify the Church, as to stir up devotion to the B.V.M. under the title of “Our Lady of Perpetual Succour”. This evening, then I shall give you, a history of the miraculous picture of which this window is a copy, and shall mention some of the miraculous gifts both spiritual and temporal which have been obtained by having recourse to “Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.”

The other three windows on the sanctuary are pictures of archangels.

The Blessed Sacrament is the Body of Christ, consecrated during celebration of the Eucharist. It is kept in the tabernacle so we can pray to Jesus there at any time.

The sanctuary lamp burns day and night near the tabernacle to remind us that Jesus is always there with us. It is put out only on Good Friday and Holy Saturday when the Blessed Sacrament is removed to a safe place.

The Baptismal font stands in the sanctuary and is used when a baby or older person is Baptised.

Baptism is the first of the seven sacraments.

The Priest and the altar servers come to the sanctuary from the sacristy.

The bell is rung when it is time for a service to begin.

The shop in a church is called a repository. It sells cards, candles, statues, prayer books, Bibles, etc. It is open after Mass on Sundays.

The Stations of the Cross remind us of the last earthly journey of Jesus to his death on Mount Calvary, his being taken down from the cross, and his burial in the tomb.

In the shrine on the left of the sanctuary there is a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The words mean: Heart of Jesus, have mercy. In the shrine on the right there is a statue of Our Lady with the Child Jesus.

The room from which we go into the church is called
 the narthex (or porch). Here the Priest meets people as
they go out after Mass on Sundays and Holy Days.


 An arch at the back of the church leads to the Baptistery, where people were Baptised on the days before it became customary to Baptise people during Mass on Sunday. Here, there is a statue of Jesus, taken down from the cross and in the arms of his mother. It is called a Pietà, an Italian name.

 

For the sacrament of Reconciliation, there are two confessionals, each with a door for the Priest and a door for the person receiving the sacrament.

A crucifix stands above the Tabernacle. At each side there is a scene from the life of Jesus: at the beginning, a visit by wise men; and at the end, his death on the cross.

 

As we enter the church, we bless ourselves by making the sign of the cross with water from the holy water stoup.

We bless ourselves to remind us of our Baptism.

In the church there are many memorials. One of them recalls a sixteen year old boy killed in a sea battle.

Many sailors are buried in Woodlands Cemetery which is just outside our parish.

The pulpit was used before the days of microphones, so that the priest could be heard better when preaching a homily.

The statues at the back of the sanctuary show St Joseph with tools, St Theresa with flowers, St Patrick with a snake, and St Anthony of Padua with the Child Jesus. A statue near a shrine shows St Margaret Clitherow with a red book.

On Sundays and Holy Days we take a Mass Book and/or a hymn book as we go in.

The numbers of the hymns to be sung are on a board at the right of the sanctuary arch.

 

The stained glass windows on the left of the church show the martyrs of England and Wales.

Saint Margaret Clitherow was martyred

in York, on Good Friday, 1586,
for sheltering Catholic priests.
We see the line "Give us of thy courage".

Saint Alban was martyred in 313

for sheltering a priest in his home, being converted
to Christianity, and eventually,

changing cloaks with him, allowing the priest to escape.
Saint Alban was ordered to receive the

punishment of the priest, and was beheaded.
 We see the line "Remember Us".

Saint John Fisher (Cardinal John Fisher)

was martyred in London, on 22 June 1535, for
denying the King as the supreme ruler of the Church.
The line is "Pray for Us".

St Thomas More was martyred in London on 6 July, 1535,
 for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as the head of the Church.
Both he and Saint John Fisher share the same saint's day.
Saint Thomas More is the Patron Saint for Lawyers and Statesmen.
The line is "Pray for thy Land".

Saint Thomas of Canterbury was
martyred on 29 December, 1170.
The king said some strong
statements about the Archbishop.
A group of knights heard about these,
 and went looking for the Archbishop,
and murdered him in Canterbury Cathedral.
The line on this window is "Defend our Faith".

 

The stained glass windows of Our Lady are on the right hand side of the Church.

This one shows Our Lady with infant Jesus in her arms.
The text on the window reads:
"Our Lady of Gillingham X Star of the Sea X
 Mother of the Priest X Pray for Us"

This one shows Our Lady praying.
The text on the window reads:
"Mary Immaculate X Pray for Us".

On the right of the sanctuary arch, under the hymn number board, there is often a poster prepared by the Children's Liturgy during the 9am Mass on Sunday.

At the other end of the church from the sanctuary, a rose window has symbols of some of the sacraments, and of the four Gospel writers: the angel of St Mathew, the lion of St Mark, the bull of St Luke, and the eagle of St John. It is dedicated to Fr Paddy Porter, a much loved former parish priest. As well as the written tribute on the window, we see the boxing gloves, representative of his favourite hobby, and on the right, a dog, showing his love for animals, especially his own, who stayed with him until his death in 1988.

 

Exterior Views of the Church

The view of the Church from Ingram Road.

 

 

Other Views of the Church

This is a view of the church from the Sanctuary.
This is where the priest is during the celebration
of the Eucharist.