St Monica's Catholic Church is a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of the

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in the

Palmers Green Palmers Green is a suburban area and electoral ward in North London, England, within the London Borough of Enfield. It is located within the N13 postcode district, around north of Charing Cross. It is home to the largest population of Greek Cy ...

area of

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

. The parish church is situated at the junction of Stonard Road and

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in the

London Borough of Enfield The London Borough of Enfield () is a London boroughs, London borough in North London. It borders the London boroughs of London Borough of Barnet, Barnet to the west, London Borough of Haringey, Haringey to the south, and London Borough of Walt ...

. It is one of only two parishes in the

Diocese of Westminster Diocese of Westminster may refer to: * Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, since 1850, with seat at Westminster Cathedral * Diocese of Westminster (Church of England) The Diocese of Westminster was a short-lived diocese of the Church of Engl ...

to be dedicated to

Saint Monica Monica ( – 387) was an early North African Christian saint and the mother of Augustine of Hippo. She is remembered and honored in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, albeit on different feast days, for her outstanding Christian virtues, partic ...

, the other being that of St Monica's Priory, Hoxton. Originally founded as a mission church, it then became established as a parish, with a presbytery built alongside in 1931. As of 2021, the church has two priests, a parish sister and a lay youthworker. The church activities include community programmes and social action alongside worship and pastoral care.

History

The parish church was founded as a mission church in 1910. Father Thomas Heditch was appointed rector of the new parish in 1910, but fell ill in the spring of 1912. He went on a

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, but did not return. Then Father Patrick Gallagher was appointed rector on 27 June 1912. Father Gallagher (whose Grandnephew was Dr Joseph Cassidy the former

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) originally came from the parish of

Midfield, County Mayo Midfield (, anglicised to Treanlaur) is a village, in the barony of Gallen, in County Mayo, in Ireland. It is located close to the towns of Kilkelly, Kiltimagh, and Swinford, and to Ireland West (Knock) Airport. History The village of Midf ...

in Ireland. He was a late recruit to the priesthood, having previously been a builder based in the Northeast of England (He had this business along with his brother John, Cassidy's grandfather; John would go on to own the Railway Hotel, now Douglas Kelly's Solicitors, in

Swinford Swinford () is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is surrounded by a number of smaller villages, including Midfield and Meelick. It is just off the N5 road, located 18 km (11 mi) from Ireland West Airport Knock (formerly known as K ...

, Co. Mayo after they disbanded their building company). After a family tragedy he joined the priesthood, and became the main driving force in the building of St. Monica's Church. Using his considerable resources and connections within the building industry, Fr Gallagher managed to build the church within two years of his arrival. The church's official opening was on Monday 4 May 1914 by Francis Cardinal Bourne in front of nearly 600 lay people and 40 clergy. The church, together with the presbytery, was built for £6,600 including the cost of the site. Then in 1954 Fr Gallagher built St. Monica's Primary School on land in nearby Cannon Hill in

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. This was to be his last and dearest ambition achieved, for three years later on 11 December 1957, Fr Gallagher finally passed from this world with his work complete. He is buried with his family in

Stanley, County Durham Stanley is a former colliery town and civil parish in County Durham, North East England. Centred on a hilltop between Chester-le-Street and Consett, the town lies south west of Gateshead. Stanley was formerly divided into three distinct set ...

in the northeast of England. The church started an amateur dramatic society, Saint Monica's Players (SMP), in 1958 that continues to perform musicals across Enfield today. From 1935 to 1987, the parish hall was used for a repertory theatre, the

Intimate Theatre The Intimate Theatre was a repertory theatre in Palmers Green, London from 1937 to 1987, and is the name commonly used for St. Monica's Church Hall. History St. Monica's Church Hall was built in 1931, and the actor John Clements turned the buil ...

The Interior

In 1920, Father Gallagher attended the Passion Play at

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, Germany. He was impressed by the wood carving industry there. He promptly ordered the Sacred Heart altar and a Lady altar (which has since been removed), the statues of St Monica and St Joseph, two confessional boxes and a handsome pulpit with an effective sounding board (also removed).

The Sacred Heart Chapel

Situated in the traditional south west corner of the church, the Sacred Heart Chapel was an anonymous gift from an early parishioner. The walls are lined with stone mosaic in various patterns and rich colours in the

Byzantine style Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire. The Byzantine era is usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great moved the Roman capital to Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until the ...

. Two angels bear parts of one of Jesus' revelations to Sister Margret Mary in the 1670s: 'Behold this Heart' on the left and 'Which has so loved men' on the right. The Sacred Heart statue is in the centre of the wooden altar, surrounded by intricate carving. The painted panels on each side of the statue depict on the left, St Peter receiving the keys of the Church from Jesus, while on the right, Jesus showing his Sacred Heart to Sister Margret Mary, in the chapel where she lived and worked. The stained glass window, by

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, portrays Jesus surrounded by children and has the superscription: 'Suffer little children to come unto me' (Mark 10:14). A line below the images invites people to 'Pray for the Donors'.

Statues

The statue of St Monica, with St Augustine as a baby in a boat at her feet, stands in front of the modern Reconciliation Room. This was built in the Baptistery, which itself was added to the church in 1964. The statue of St Joseph, holding a lily, the symbol of the Christian virtue of chastity, is adjacent to the Sacred Heart Chapel. The Statue of St Mary is in a niche on the north wall and has a popular candle stand and the Book of Remembrance below.

The Stations of the Cross

Originally framed, the fourteen Stations of the Cross, carved in oak, were commissioned by Father Gallagher. We have been unable to find where they came from and when. The frames are long gone now and set against the plain walls of the Church, the individual images tell the story of Christ's crucifixion in a simple and dignified way.

The Organ

The organ, used for the first time at Christmas in 1924, was described by

The Tablet ''The Tablet'' is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017. History ''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by a Quaker convert ...

as 'An instrument of great power and beautiful tone'. There was a service to bless it in early January 1925. Cardinal Francis Bourne was due to attend but was indisposed. St Monica's was the second home for the organ, but no-one knows where it was previously. It was refurbished in spring 2014. It is positioned in the organ loft, which sits above the church porch.

The Crucifix

The large wooden crucifix with an expressive, carved Christ (origin unknown) has been hung in various places around the Church down the years. Currently in hangs along the south wall and every year on

Remembrance Sunday Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held on the second Sunday in Nov ...

, the congregation turns to face it for a brief service of Remembrance and two minutes' silence.

Sanctuary Window

The sanctuary window above the altar was originally plain glass. For some years it had a curtain across it and the large wooden cross hung there. In 1984, an anonymous donor provided the new window. It was painted by the Maltese artist Carmel Cauchi (born 1927) who said 'It shows Christ in the glory of His resurrection. Jesus is the light'.

Lighting

New lights were installed in 2010, in time for the celebration of the centenary of the founding of the parish. Designed by Bruce Kirk of Light Perceptions, they were built in Lancashire. Their design reflects that of the original lights from 1914.

Parish Priests

* 1910 - Father Thomas Heditch * 1912 - Father Patrick Gallagher * 1957 - Father Reginald Crook * 1964 - Father Raymund Geraerts * 1979 - Father Robin Whitney * 1994 - Father Brian Creak * 2004 - Canon Roger Taylor * 2008 - Canon Shaun Lennard * 2017 - Canon Mehall Lowry

Curates

* 1916 - Father Wilfred Harrington * 1918 - Father John Sheeran * 1921 - Father William Gordon * 1936 - Father Patrick Murphy * 1949 - Father Henry Dodd * 1950 - Father Edward Short * 1951 - Father Peter Boshell * 1958 - Father Adrian Peeler * 1963 - Father Hilary Crewe * 1967 - Father Keith Abram * 1972 - Father Samuel Steer * 1979 - Father Frans Azzopardi * 1986 - Father Patrick Miscampbell OSB * 1990 - Father Stephen Weaver * 1995 - Father Dennis Touw * 2002 - Father Joe Mazarello * 2004 - Father Shaun Church * 2007 - Father Philip Dyer-Perry * 2011 - Father Andrew Gallagher * 2014 - Father Paulo Bagini * 2017 - Father John Warnarby * 2019 - Father Stewart Hasker * 2022 - Father Paul Zhao SVD * 2023 - Father David Knight

References

External links

*
BBC: News Read on Father Roger in ActionWestminster DioceseSaint Monica's Enfield amateur dramatic society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmers Green, Saint Monica 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster

Roman Catholic churches completed in 1914 Roman Catholic churches in the London Borough of Enfield