Our Lady of the Forest Church was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church in

Forest Row Forest Row is a village and a large civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The village is located three miles (5 km) south-east of East Grinstead. History The village draws its name from its proximity to the Ashdow ...

, a village in East Sussex in southern England. The

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Southvarcensis'') is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in England. It is headed by the Archbishop of Southwark. The archdiocese is part of the Metropolitan ...

built the church in the 1950s. When the

Diocese of Arundel and Brighton The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton (in la, Dioecesis Arundeliensis-Brichtelmestunensis) is a Latin Church Roman Catholic diocese in southern England covering the counties of Sussex and Surrey (excluding Spelthorne, which is pa ...

was formed in 1965 from part of Southwark's territory, it assumed responsibility for the church. It was registered for marriages in February 1959, but closed in 2009. The

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

, attended mass at the church in 1963. The church closed after mass on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

in 2009. The church had a regular congregation of 50 and 90 at the time of its closure. The primary reason for the closure of the church was a shortage of priests; retired priests were conducting services at the church in the absence of the parish priest, Fr Steven Purnell. Following the closure of the church the fittings and vestments were moved to the parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Kwadaso-Kumasi in the Archdiocese of Kumasi in northern Ghana. The congregation is now part of Our Lady and St Peter's Church in nearby East Grinstead.

Kennedy visit

, the

, attended mass at the Church on 29 June 1963. Kennedy's attendance ensured that this was the first

Roman Catholic Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, "the same Christ ...

at which an American president had been present in England. Kennedy had been staying at

Birch Grove Birch Grove, Horsted Keynes, West Sussex, England is a country house dating from 1926. It was the family home of the British prime minister Harold Macmillan, Earl of Stockton, who died there in 1986. During Macmillan's time, Charles De Gaulle, ...

, the family residence of the

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Harold Macmillan during his only official visit to the United Kingdom. Kennedy travelled to the church in a large motorcade of police and

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agents. Crowds were present along the route as well as campaigners for nuclear disarmament. Kennedy and Macmillan had been discussing what would eventually become the

Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty The Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) is the abbreviated name of the 1963 Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water, which prohibited all test detonations of nuclear weapons except for those conducted ...

at Birch Grove. The parish priest, Fr Charles P. Dolman, omitted his typical 15-minute sermon due to constraints on Kennedy's time, but expressed gratitude that "one of the world's leading Catholics should be with us in our little wayside chapel this morning". Kennedy shook hands with villagers outside the church as he left after the mass. Kennedy was accompanied by Philip de Zulueta, a fellow Roman Catholic and private secretary to MacMillan. On his way to and from the church Kennedy's sole topic of conversation was sexual gossip connected to the

Profumo affair The Profumo affair was a major scandal in twentieth-century British politics. John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative government, had an extramarital affair with 19-year-old model Christine Keeler be ...

, much to Zulueta's astonishment; MacMillan was shocked by reports of Kennedy's conversations. Kennedy was assassinated in November, just under six months following his visit to Sussex; MacMillan subsequently unveiled a memorial plaque to Kennedy at Forest Row Village Hall. Kennedy's visit to the church was commemorated by a small plaque; a memorial mass was subsequently held on the anniversary of his visit for several years.

References

External links

JFK Library - Images of Kennedy at Our Lady of the ForestArchive news footage of Kennedy at Forest Row
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forest Row, Our Lady of the Forest Former churches in East Sussex Roman Catholic churches completed in the 1950s 2009 disestablishments in England Our Lady of the Forest Church

Kennedy visit

See also

References

External links