St Joan of Arc Church is 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 ...

Parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in Farnham, Surrey. It was founded in 1890 and built in its present location in 1929. It was decided that the Farnham church should be dedicated to St Joan of Arc because

Farnham Castle Farnham Castle is a 12th-century castle in Farnham, Surrey, England. It was formerly the residence of the Bishops of Winchester. History Built in 1138 by Henri de Blois, Bishop of Winchester, grandson of William the Conqueror, Farnham castle ...

was a residence of Cardinal Henry Beaufort who was present at her trial. It is a

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

church and a Grade II listed building. It is situated between Tilford Road and Waverley Lane, south of Farnham Railway Station.

History

Frensham Place

In 1888, a Fr Mathieu Gerin came from France to say Mass for the Catholics in Farnham. Originally, he did this in a temporary chapel in Frensham Place, a country house that became Edgeborough School.

Bear Lane

By 1890, a larger place was needed to accommodate an increasing congregation. So Fr Gerin bought an old disused police station in Bear Lane, down hill from

. The top floor was turned into a church, dedicated to

Saint Polycarp Polycarp (; el, Πολύκαρπος, ''Polýkarpos''; la, Polycarpus; AD 69 155) was a Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the ''Martyrdom of Polycarp'', he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed ...

and the ground floor became a school. Soon the school outgrew its location and had to move next door.History
from St Joan of Arc Farnham. Retrieved 3 March 2013

Tilford Road

In 1913, eight years after Fr Gerin retired, Fr Etienne Robo came to serve the local church. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he returned from France in 1919. In 1922 he realised that a new church site had to be sought to accommodate the larger congregation.

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

was

canonised Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

in 1920 and Fr Robo wanted a church dedicated to the saint in the town that was a principal residence of

Cardinal Beaufort Cardinal Henry Beaufort (c. 1375 – 11 April 1447), Bishop of Winchester, was an English prelate and statesman who held the offices of Bishop of Lincoln (1398) then Bishop of Winchester (1404) and was from 1426 a Cardinal of the Church of Ro ...

who presided at her trial in 1431, was present at her execution and ordered her ashes to be thrown into the

River Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

. In 1923, a site was bought at Tilford Road. It was originally a gravel and rubbish pit. In 1928, after the ground was levelled and made safe, work started on the new church. Waverley Lane leads from the church to

Waverley Abbey Waverley Abbey was the first Cistercian abbey in England, founded in 1128 by William Giffard, the Bishop of Winchester. Located about southeast of Farnham, Surrey, it is situated on a flood-plain; surrounded by current and previous channe ...

, the ruins of an old Cistercian Monastery. In 1928, a huge celebration of the abbey's foundation, in 1128, took place with Cardinal Francis Bourne in attendance. This helped gain local public support for the new church. In 1929, the foundation stone was laid by Bishop Peter Amigo of Southwark. The church was designed by John Edward Dixon-Spain (d. 1955) in the Romanesque Revival style and contains statues by the sculptor

Vernon Hill Vernon W. Hill II (born August 18, 1945) is an American businessman, the founder and former chairman of Metro Bank, a UK retail bank with 77 stores, and assets of £7.4b ($10.6b). He was also the founder, former chairman, president and CEO of ...

. On 30 May 1930, the feast day of St Joan of Arc, the church was opened and two years later it was given the status of a parish church.

Parish

The church shares the site around it with St Polycarp's Catholic Primary School; the school keeping its original name from when it was located with the church in Bear Lane. The church has a close relationship with the school; Mass and services with the children are regularly held throughout the term, and are also attended by parents. The school states that its ethos and curriculum 'places great emphasis on religious education, worship and respect.' It is also a feeder school for

All Hallows Catholic School All Hallows Catholic School is a mixed, voluntary-aided comprehensive secondary school and Sixth Form in Weybourne, Farnham, Surrey, England. It is a Roman Catholic school affiliated to the Portsmouth diocese . The school offers many courses ...

Weybourne, Surrey Weybourne is a small village in Surrey, England. It lies on the outskirts of Farnham, Surrey and borders onto Aldershot, Hampshire. Geography Weybourne lies to the northeast of Farnham, bordering the villages of Hale, Heath End and Badshot ...

. The church celebrates Mass everyday and has four Sunday Masses. The Sunday Masses are at: 5pm (Saturday Vigil), 9.15am, 11.15am and 5pm (Sunday Youth Mass). In 2008, the St Joan's Centre was opened next door to the church. It acts as a hall for parish events and groups and can host other organisations that want to use it. The parish groups and associations include youth groups, adult formation groups, and prayer groups, as well as those working with the

Make Poverty History Make Poverty History are organizations in a number of countries, which focus on issues relating to 8th Millennium Development Goal such as aid, trade and justice. They generally form a coalition of aid and development agencies which work togethe ...

campaign, a

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

club and Arcaid, a small, independent overseas aid charity, based in the parish. Also within the parish is More House School, an independent boys' school for those with learning difficulties. The school prospectus states that it has close links with the local parish. A Catholic service is held in the school chapel every week. Further down Waverley Lane from the church is the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, which offers

palliative care Palliative care (derived from the Latin root , or 'to cloak') is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Wit ...

to sick adults. The parish priest acts as chaplain to the hospice.Chaplaincy
at Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice. Retrieved 4 March 2013

References

External links

*
St Joan of Arc Parish site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Joan of Arc's Church, Farnham Roman Catholic churches completed in 1930 Grade II listed churches in Surrey Roman Catholic churches in Surrey Saint Joan of Arc Church Buildings and structures in Farnham Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England Romanesque Revival church buildings in England 1930 establishments in England 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom