News Item: : 'Catholic Lancashire'
(Category: Torch of The Faith News)
Posted by admin
Saturday 13 September 2008 - 01:17:08

lancs_005.jpgWe were over in St. Helens today where we went to midday Mass in the parish of Holy Cross. This is a splendid Church which could very easily be adapted for the celebration of the Classical Roman Rite, because the original sanctuary, High Altar, and altar rails are extant beyond the present raised forward platform and altar table. The Mass began 15 minutes after this picture was taken, by which time a fairly large congregation had gathered.
If one walks a few buildings down from the Church and looks up at the right hand side of the Town Hall, this statue of St. Helen holding the True Cross may be viewed;
lancs_004.jpgThis is because the town is reputed to have grown at the place where St. Helen was encamped at the time her son Constantine (then at York) discovered that he was to be the new Roman Emperor!

St. Helen's town also has a rich history due to its glass industry. However, like much of Lancashire, its Catholic heritage is a key element and indeed Blessed Dominic Barberi, Fr. Ignatius Spencer (from the same Spencer family as the late Diana, Princess of Wales), and Sr. Elizabeth Prout are all buried at the site of the former Passionist monastery at St. Anne's and Blessed Dominic Church.  

Each of these souls is very important in the story of the evangelization of England. Blessed Dominic came from Italy to evangelize England and was blessed to eventually receive the great Cardinal John Henry Newman into the Catholic Church. Fr. Ignatius Spencer was a convert from Anglicanism and devoted himself to his Crusade Prayer for the Conversion of England. Sr. Elizabeth Prout was another Anglican convert and she founded the Daughters of the Passion and Cross in Manchester. The causes for canonization of all these amazing people are with the Church.

We were in St. Helens today to visit our good and loyal friend Fiona;
fiona_001.jpgFiona has been one of our greatest pro-life and Christian supporters down the years; praying and working behind the scenes and even ending up with me on a late night TV debate a few years back regarding chastity and young people! She is a wife, mother of two fine daughters and a Third Order Franciscan involved in a prayer and healing ministry. As a close part of the history and development of our ministry we all spent a day together today to pray for the unfolding work and direction of Torch of The Faith.  



This news item is from Torch of The Faith
( http://www.torchofthefaith.com/news.php?extend.35 )