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Parishioners Come Together for Anniversary Celebrations | Parish Good News
The parish of St Edmund of Canterbury & St Thomas More recently celebrated Centenary Mass in thanksgiving for the ministry of the parish in the Loughton area.
With over 300 parishioners present on the day, those who attended were delighted to welcome Bishop Alan Williams, who celebrated the Mass. Afterwards, there was a barbecue organised by the hard-working volunteers in the parish, offering their own time to open a space for the sharing of memories, reconnecting with parishioners past and present, and a time for reflecting on the future of the parish.
Fr Adrian Lowe, parish priest at St Edmund of Canterbury, said:
“Our Centenary Mass was a wonderful celebration of faith, community and continuity, as we gave thanks to God for 100 years of Catholic worship in the heart of Loughton. Our centenary motto, ‘A Century of Faith, Hope and Love’, expresses beautifully what this special year means to us. We give thanks for the faith that has been handed down to us, we celebrate the love and generosity that have sustained our parish, and we look forward with hope to all that God has in store for the future.”
He added:
“It was a real joy to see the church so full and to welcome visitors and regular worshippers…The beautiful Mass and the barbecue afterwards created a wonderful atmosphere of faith, friendship, joy and community.
“The celebrations honour those whose generosity built and have sustained St Edmund’s over the past century. At the same time, they mark the beginning of our planning and preparation for the next 100 years, as we seek to ensure that our parish continues to flourish and grow in faith under the lordship of Jesus Christ.
“Our hope is that, just as previous generations faithfully handed on the gift of faith to us, we too will hand it on to those who come after us. Above all, we want Jesus to remain at the heart of our parish life, guiding us as we seek to serve God and our community for generations to come.
“I would like to thank Bishop Alan for presiding over our Centenary Mass, and I am also incredibly grateful to all the volunteers whose time and generosity helped to make the day such a memorable event.”
St Edmund’s had humble beginnings, starting with a small Catholic community and a simple “old tin hut” and now has over 600 regular weekly worshippers. It was established in 1926 by Bishop Arthur Doubleday of Brentwood, with Catholics in Loughton previously having to travel to the surrounding parishes to attend Mass.
Initially, the first Masses were celebrated in Lopping Hall, then in 1927, a piece of land was acquired just off the High Street and a small corrugated-iron church was erected. Affectionately known as the “old tin hut”, it served the growing Catholic community for 30 years until the present church building was opened in 1958.
The parish looks to the future with Hope, aiming to build on the foundations laid by all those previous generations, ensuring that children, families, young people, adults and future generations can continue to encounter Jesus Christ, discover the joy of the Catholic faith and find a welcoming spiritual home at St Edmund’s.
St Edward the Confessor also celebrated the milestone of 170 years serving the people of Romford. The occasion was marked by Mass with the Church being well-ornamented by the parish’s flower team, with a homily from Canon Nicholas Schofield (Westminster Diocese), who preached on the life of St Edward the Confessor.
In the same week, the parish was joined by The Campion School Schola group who sang during Mass and the parish’s Golden Club. In the evening, there was a talk by Michelle Moran of the Sion Community, who offered some insight and deep reflections on ‘renewing our personal faith’.
It’s great to see parishes celebrating such large milestones as time goes on. Our parishes are not just buildings in which we celebrate Mass, but they a people united by faith and witnessing to the Gospel in their lives. The important anniversaries are not just a celebrations of church buildings, but celebrations of communities and people that build the body of Christ.
Article text adapted from Diocese of Brentwood website
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