Showing 248 results

People / Organisations
Allen, Peter Rev SM BA MTh
P396 · Person · 1984-

1984: Discussions re Walsingham Shrine management and organisation
1985: being written to re concelebrating mass

P206 · Person · 1900-1954

John Peter Arendzen was born in January 1873 in Haarlem, Holland, the eldest of nine and the first of four to be ordained to the priesthood in England. After his education in Holland, John entered St. Thomas' Seminary, Hammersmith and transferred, aged 20, to St. Mary's College, Oscott in March 1893 and ordained there on 21st September 1895.

After a PhD at Bonn University and his DD at Munich University, he graduated at Christ's College, Cambridge with a BA in 1901 and an MA in 1906 . Whilst there he was assigned to the Mission Church in St. Ives. Initially he celebrated Mass at a small wooden chapel, purchased by benefactor George Pauling, but such was his missionary zeal that from a base of no Catholics, by 1902, fifty six were evident and a larger church was required. George Pauling donated £1000 which bought the redundant Church of St. Andrew in Cambridge. This was dismantled, transported by barge to St Ives, and rebuilt on its present site in Needingworth Road, in less than 5 months.

On Sunday 16 March 1902, he laid the foundation stone which included the Latin inscription “AD FIDEM REDEANT ANGLI” ('May the English return to the Faith'). The church was reconsecrated on 9th July 1902 by Bishop Riddell, Bishop of Northampton and dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the opening ceremony Fr. Arendzen's brother Leo acted as thurifer, their parents and three sisters were in the congregation.

Fr Arendzen was a tireless, devoted, eloquent and scholarly priest, totally dedicated to his life in the Church, and to whatever role he was assigned. He won a place in the hearts of parishioners, fellow priests, students and all who knew him. He had a reputation as a brilliant orator and was named by one national newspaper as 'one of the preachers of the century', no mean feat given that English was not his native language. He was a prolific author writing many essays, several articles to the Catholic Encyclopaedia in 1913, the Journal of Theological Studies, the Jewish Quarterly and annotations to the Douai Bible. His literary activity included the Catholic Gazette, the Catholic Times and several books, including: 'Ten Minutes a Day to Heaven', 'Heaven Sense: What Scripture and the Catholic Church Really Teach about Heaven'.

He died in London on 21st July 1954 aged 81, his Requiem Mass was held at Sacred Heart Church, Kilburn, across the street from the Arendzen family home.

P104 · Person · 1947-1983

1947: Bishop's Secretary
19-8-1952: Address at the laying of the foundation stone for Our Lady of Good Counsel & St Peter in March in presence of Bishop of Northampton.
1956-1958: PP at St Neots
retired from St Oswald's

1983: died

P368 · Person · 1997-2014

1997: PP at Aldeburgh
2005: retired from Aldeburgh
2014: died

St Stephen’s House was founded in 1876 by members of the Tractarian or Oxford Movement and has stood, ever since, in the catholic tradition of the Church of England.

P639 · Person · 1915-2004

1915: born on May 1 in the Angel Hotel at Clowne, Derbyshire, where his father was the landlord. The family moved to Great Yarmouth, where he attended the grammar school.
1938: Oscott
1942: ordained
1949 - 1975: PP at Downham Market
2004: died

He went to the Jesuits' Campion House in Middlesex before going to the prestigious French seminary to become "a gentleman of St Sulpice"; but, in 1938, he was asked to leave after publishing an article suggesting that the Treaty of Versailles had been too severe on Germany to be the basis of a lasting peace. On returning home Baker was not accepted by the Jesuits, then earned a living selling books in Glasgow, tried the Dominicans, he eventually went to Oscott seminary at Birmingham. After being ordained priest in 1942, Baker served as a curate at Luton, High Wycombe and Wymondham, Norfolk, before going to Downham Market in 1949.
When the New Mass came out in 1969, Fr. Baker refused to say it and continued to offer exclusively the Tridentine Latin Mass as codified by Pope St. Pius V in 1570. In 1975 Father Baker was suspended by Bishop Charles Grant. Bishop Grant told Fr. Baker not to say Mass in his Church, so Fr. Baker obediently said Mass in his Presbytery instead.
With the help of donations a house was purchased for his presbytery & chapel, at 48 Bexwell Road, Downham Market, named the "St. Pius V Chapel". He said Mass there until his death in 2004
In 1984 he explained that the present Pope was "no more a Catholic than Ian Paisley - and no more a pope than Billy Graham". He added that "the new Mass is a sacrilegious parody of the true Mass: it is sinful to take part in it."
Gradually Baker's congregation fell to about 20, though it would swell when the film producer Mel Gibson, who bought a house nearby, appeared for Sunday Mass and stayed for coffee afterwards.
On July 2 2004 Father Oswald Baker declared: "I am ready to die" - which he then did.

P328 · Person · 1887-1963

December 1887: born
1925: to receive sub-deaconate on 6th July
1926: ordained
1927-1928: Priest at Great Billing
1930-1939: PP at Mission, Woburn Sands, Bedfordshire
1939-1945: PP at Sheringham
1945-1961: PP St Felix, Felixstowe
1961: retired
1963: died

Banham, Frederick E
P683 · Person · 1921

1921: writing to Bishop regarding son, Cyril, becoming a priest

1898: The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, built in 1898 to the designs of FE Banham
Designed St Benet's, Beccles, WWI memorial

Banham, R E
P679 · Person · 1924

1924: Correspondence regarding father's Will and an Endowment for Beccles.

Barnes, John Rev
P006 · Person · 2014

1995: Ordained
2014: PP St Felix, Felixstowe

Battams, Dorothy Mrs
P344 · Person · 1925

1925: Writing to the Bishop re Leiston Church fund raising
Recently returned from living in Ceylon.
Niece of a Canon at Lynford.

Batten, Bettina
P585 · Person · 1991-

Sculptor in Norwich; parishioner at St John the Baptist
15 July 1992: Exhibiting 35 pieces at the Assembly House, Norwich
May 1994: article in the Key: "Sculptress Bettina Batten of Norwich has just completed her interpretation of God the Father from clay and fired in a kiln. taking a classical view of God looking down from his creation, the figure is an addition to a religious collection which is winning fans for Bettina all over the country. Her figure of Mother Teresa now graces a school in Liverpool. She has completed a nativity set for her home parish of St John's in Norwich. And there are many more commissions on the way and ideas which she wants to follow up. One of the most poignant figures she has created was inspired by a remembrance card. It is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane being comforted by an angel. Bettina has also produced a welcoming figure of Christ the King with hands outstretched to gather in his people. This is a features statue in one of the parish chapels in Norwich. The baby Jesus in one of her nativity sets was once held by one of the visionaries at Medjugorje when she visited the centre there. Many of her figures can be seen on sale in Walsingham and other places so look out for this example of home fired religious art. An early piece of Bettina's sculpture is a bust of Bishop Alan Clark which is kept iin his office in the White House. Her art developed from a hobby with Bettina taking up drawing in the early stages but developing onto sculpture later."

Bedingfeld, Mary Mrs
P401 · Person · 2001

2001 - writing about use of Chapel at Oxburgh Hall

Berrell, Augustine Rev
P116 · Person · 1967-1995

1967-1975: PP St Felix, Felixstowe
1983: PP March
1987: retired
1995: died

Berthelay, L
P337 · Person · 1924

1924: writing to Bishop re Aldeburgh Mission

Birch, Clive Rev SM LGSM
P392 · Person · 1979-1984

1979 -1984: Director of Shrine at Walsingham reporting to Council

Borovsky, Tibor Rev
P713 · Person · 1988-

1988: ordained in 1988 in Nitra (Slovakia). He ministered in several parishes in Slovakia.
2010: Ethnic Chaplain in London for both Slovak and Czech community. Also continues to serve Slovak communities in London and Peterborough
October 1st 2022: Parish priest in St Neots,