MSC NEWS WE MISSED
Missionaries of Sacred Heart bid farewell to St Albans
Many MSC from Australia have visited, a number have stayed at, our parish in London, St Albans.
It is only recently that we discovered the news about St Albans – not as alert to Social Media as we thought.
Here is Carl Tranter’s statement:
On Pentecost Sunday, Fr Carl Tranter MSC, Provincial of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, visited St Alban and St Stephen to announce the sad news that the Order would be withdrawing from the parish, following the retirement or death of a number of the MSC community in recent years. The following is an abridged version of his message.
With deep regret we have decided to hand the parish back to the pastoral care of the Diocese of Westminster later this year. Like many Religious Congregations in Europe, we are currently experiencing a period of rapid decline and diminishment in the Irish Province of the MSC. Sadly, the reality is that we simply do not have the personnel to provide continued ministry here in St Albans.
We began our service in St Albans 120 years ago, in 1899, at the initiative of our Founder, Fr Jules Chevalier, and it is our longest serving place of mission in England and Ireland. It has been a graced place to live and minister for successive generations of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. It has been and is a wonderfully alive, passionate and committed parish and it has been a privilege to be part of the joys, struggle, growth and development of the Catholic community here for the last 120 years, a time which has seen enormous changes in our country and Church as well as in this city and the parish. Together as MSCs and parishioners many generations have lived and celebrated their faith here through the best of times and the worst of times, including two world wars, and despite challenges and failures along the way, I know we have all sought to be authentic and credible witnesses to Christ and his Church here in St Albans.
Carl Tranter and friend
On this day of Pentecost especially, however, we are reminded that the Church is Christ’s, assured and animated by his Spirit. It is not the possession of any one of us. The parish of St Albans does not belong to the MSCs; we are simply missionaries, those who like the disciples have been sent by the Lord to serve. For us as MSCs our special missionary mandate is to give witness to a God who loves us with a human heart in the person of Jesus Christ. We have had the joy, honour and privilege of serving that mission here for 120 years. Now it is time for others to be sent and to continue that service.
I know there will be many among you who are saddened by this decision, as also there will be many MSCs. There will be ample occasion over the coming months to give thanks to God and to one another for the experience and memories of our shared Christian pilgrimage together over the last 120 years.
Thank you for the many ways in which you have welcomed, supported and worked with successive MSCs over the years, and thank you for continuing to work in close partnership with Frs TJ, Jimmy and Alan over the coming months as we prepare for September’s handover. May the Holy Spirit, who empowers us all to live fully and boldly our faith, continue to abide in and inspire the local Church here in St Albans now and in the years to come.
With effect from September, Fr Michael O’Boy has been appointed Parish Priest and Fr Julian Davies (to be ordained on 27th July) Assistant Priest.
For those who would like to know more about the MSC presence at St Albans.
The formation of the parish really began in 1876 when a small church was built in London Road and dedicated to Ss Alban & Stephen in 1878. In 1899, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSCs) were invited to take charge of the mission of St Albans. By 1900, it was decided a larger, more ornate church was required, so in 1903, the current church was built in Beaconsfield Road. The church was dedicated and blessed on New Year’s Day 1905. In 1959, a Mass centre started at Skyswood Primary School and later transferred to St John Fisher’s School.
In the mid-1960s, side aisles were added, the Church was lengthened towards the railway, and the tower added. The Church was then very much as we see it today. Following construction of a modem presbytery and new parish centre, and with all debts cleared, the church was solemnly consecrated on the 4th May 1977. The new presbytery building includes another great spiritual resource, the Prayer Room, where Parishioners can come privately or in groups to pray.
In 2005, the church roof and all the top windows were replaced. In 2013, the Sacred Heart Centre was opened, following a complete renovation of the meeting rooms and hall, and provides a welcoming space for parish groups to interact.
Over the years, parishioners have responded to the need for collaborative ministries in sacramental preparation and liturgical participation. From the 1970s there has been a continuing outreach to other churches. This is a very active parish with over 40 groups serving its various needs. Many small Christian communities meet to share their understanding of the Faith.
Fr Jerry Daly MSC, many years stationed at St Albans
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart were founded by a diocesan priest, Fr Jules Chevalier, in Issoudun, France, in 1854. He was touched by the sufferings of the people and saw this human tragedy calling for compassion. He became a missionary of God’s love and dedicated his life to a single goal: ‘May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved.’ He envisioned three groups working together to fulfil his mission: Religious men and women, an association of diocesan priests, and a group of Laity who would take this mission to their homes and to their work places. Today the MSCs and the lay branch of his Spiritual Family are represented in all continents, where they continue Fr Jules’ work to make God’s love known wherever and whenever it is needed most, empowering, educating, and inspiring hope in poverty-stricken communities across the world.
In June 2019 the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart reluctantly decided that they would have to hand the parish back to the pastoral care of Westminster Archdiocese. Since the beginning of 2018 three members of the St Albans MSC community had died. While Frs Sandy Murray and Henry Twohig were retired members of the community, Fr Tom Hewitt was very much a key member of the Parish Team. The Parish Priest, Fr Tom Plower, had a health problem and was urged by his doctors to retire from full-time ministry; Fr Alan’s appointment as Vocations Director would soon come to an end and he would be moving on to another appointment in the Province; and Fr Jimmy was also due to retire. As a missionary congregation, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are committed to continuing their presence and ministry in North America, Venezuela and South Africa, but even there the last remaining Irish and English missionaries were about to retire. Sadly, the reality was that the MSCs simply did not have enough priests to provide continued ministry here in St Albans. So it was that in September 2019 the Parish came under the pastoral care of the diocese and we welcomed Fr Michael O’Boy, formerly Vice Rector and Dean of Studies at Allen Hall Seminary as our new Parish Priest and Fr Julian Davies, newly ordained, as Assistant Priest.
The influence and ethos of the MSCs for the past 120 years continues to permeate throughout our parish. Fr Chevalier’s vison of clergy, religious and laity working together is evident in the many activities that fulfil the command to love one’s neighbour. As well as the strategy groups there are many other voluntary organisations in our parish who care for the disadvantaged, and others who prefer devotional activities.
Our St Albans Group of the Lay Chevalier Family remains allied to the MSC Irish Province and is committed to keeping parishioners informed about the importance and continuing relevance of the Spirituality of the Heart in the world today. A Newsletter entitled “Heart to Heart” is freely available and there is an online presence at www.hearttoheartstalbans.org. The group meets on a regular basis for prayer and reflection. They also enjoy close links with members of the European Lay members of the Chevalier family many of whom now live in parishes formerly served by the MSCs and are an inspiration to our parish in the way they have kept the legacy of Fr Jules alive for many years.
A more detailed history of the parish from the first beginnings in 1840 and of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in St Albans since 1899 has been written by one of our late parishioners, James Corbett.
James Corbett “Celebration; The story of a parish. SS Alban and Stephen 1840-1990” 1990
ISBN 0 9517037 0 6
