top
|
As you read down this page please click
on the blue links which will take you to
more detailed pages of text and pictures and bring you back
to this page. |
|
|
Fr. Kevin O’Driscoll took over as Parish Priest from Fr. Bosco
Clarke in 2002
A few years later it was becoming obvious that the church was
getting a little dilapidated
and was in serious need of a good facelift. |
|
|
Following
many meetings with the Bishop, Parish Council, financial experts and
architects, Father Kevin and his team started to put together their
thoughts, ideas and dreams for a refreshed Church.
In this information bulletin to his parishioners, Fr
. Kevin summarises
the whole idea very clearly.
visit that page |
|
It was
essential that during this preparatory work the parishioners were
kept up to speed on the progress of the plans, etc. This was
achieved by regular news bulletins and occasional forums.
Edgington, Spink and Hyne were our appointed chartered architects
for the programme
and at
one of these forums,
our project architect Stuart MacKay
attended and gave a presentation on the proposed plans and answered
questions from parishioners.
More
Forum Information |
|
|
After a mammoth operation of searching, visiting and sampling it was
decided to use the services of a well-respected designer, David John, to create the font, ambo, altar,
tabernacle and presidential chair
for the refreshed church.
Based in Stroud, David had achieved an impeccable reputation
for his work.
To see some of the pieces he had created for other
churches please click here
|
|
|
The whole refreshment project will be managed
by Arambol Associates on behalf of the Diocese and using a
company
called ROK Builders. |
|
|
| Steven
Foster and Stuart Mackay |
|
We
also engaged the services of Stephen Foster, a renowned artist,
to create for us an image of the Risen Christ as a backdrop for
our altar. Stephen had already produced work for Liverpool and
Northampton Cathedrals. And so, when all the i‘s had been dotted and all the t’s
had been crossed – it was time. Arrangements had been made for
weekend masses to be said in the nearby Holy Family school, and
Masses during the week would be held in St. Joseph’s room at the
back of the Church. On a dull July evening in an atmosphere of
sadness, excitement and anticipation the final Mass was
held. |
 |
Afterwards, some parishioners stayed behind for a period of private
contemplation.
Eventually the doors
were locked
and the
lights went out. |
 |
|
|
The
refreshment of the church had started.
With scary efficiency ROC, our builders started to gut the
inside of the church. Artefacts were packed and moved and pews
were stacked on edge in preparation for the massive job of
rewiring, re-plumbing and new brickwork.
With a new toilet being provided in the 'still to be built'
narthex there were also sewerage works scheduled for the months
ahead.
Soon the car park had become a major construction site. |
During this
construction period, regular meetings were taking place to
prepare for the re-opening Mass on the 2nd
February.
This was the responsibility of the Parish Council
and their
various sub-committees under the guidance of Fr Kevin. |
|
|
|
For more photos of this Parish
Council walkabout, please
click here |
|
|
At one of these meetings in early December our
project architect Stuart MacKay gave the group a
positive update on the progress of the work and
showed them around the ‘non hard hat’ areas of the
site. |
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, 5th.
December, 2006
was a crucial day in the refreshment schedule when a specially
built large cross was to be fitted on it’s plinth at the side of the church.
A
large crane gently lifted the massive cross and maneuvered it up and over to
where the workmen gently nudged it into position. |
|
|
To cheers from the school children and sighs of relief from the engineers it was
finally bolted securely into it’s permanent home. There was a short religious service and Fr. Kevin blessed the Cross.
|
|
Everybody then
retired into St Anne’s hall for a well needed cuppa. Photos of the Topping Out -
click here
|
|
|
Steven Foster's Carving is assembled
With only a few days left till the official opening
Steven Foster and his team arrived to assemble the main
highlight of the Church – the carving of the Risen
Christ. The many sections of the piece were gradually
fitted into place to produce a stunning effect. |
|
|
|
More photos of the assembly :
click here |
|
|
Our designer David John installs
our tabernacle, baptismal font
and Ambo. |
|
On Friday, 2nd. February, 2007 - our
Tomorrow became our Today |
|
|
The Re
Opening of Holy Family Parish Church,
Friday, 2nd. February, 2007 |
|
 |
|
To view
full photographic coverage of the Opening Service with comments
from Fr. Kevin, and information from Michael Taub please
click here |
| Bishop Peter Recalls That
Special Evening |
|
I shall always
remember the Feast of the Presentation 2007.
Known in earlier centuries as the Feast of the
Encounter, of the meeting of Simeon with the Holy Family
in the Temple, it was a wonderful moment to celebrate
the re-ordering of the Holy Family Church, the
dedication of the new altar, and the blessing of the new
font.
I was only too aware of the thought and energy and
commitment invested in the project and in the
preparation of the celebration.
When I arrived in Langley that evening, I deliberately
decided not to go into the Church until the opening
procession. With the whole congregation, I gasped as the
lights went up. In that moment, it was amazing to see
the beauty of the new re-ordering and the huge company
present.
It was a joy to bless the new font and sprinkle the
community of the baptised. It was a privilege to
dedicate the new altar, anointing the freshly cut stone
with the oil of chrism.
Above all, it was a privilege with priests and deacons
and people to encounter Christ in the celebration of the
first Mass on the newly-dedicated altar.
My prayer now, as on that night, is that the beautifully
re-ordered Church of the Holy Family, Langley, and its
community of faith, may be where we always encounter our
risen Lord. |
 |
|
|
| And the final words from Fr
Kevin . . .
|
|
A
church approaching its fiftieth birthday is not a place to be
altered lightly. It is a building full of precious memories
both happy and sad, and a place into which people have settled
comfortably. "Beware!" is the cry that goes out to the new, keen
parish priest. |
 |
At the same time worshippers
themselves, if encouraged, begin to notice that everything is not as
it should be. Are loved ones who have died received into the church
in a dignified place? Where is the permanent baptismal font? Is the
lighting adequate? Could the building be made more beautiful?
A certain wariness giving way to a realisation that our church
building needed refreshment. And this led to the asking of important
questions. What does the Church want of her sacred buildings? What
are other communities like us doing at the moment? Slowly a plan and
a timetable began to emerge. We would be brave and imaginative and
everything would be ready for February 2nd 2007, the actual fiftieth
anniversary of the opening of the church. |
|
Stuart
Mackay, our architect, listened carefully as we explained how, first
of all, we wanted to entrance of our church to be. It needed to be a
place where people felt immediately uplifted and encouraged as they
gathered for worship, whether it was for Sunday Mass, a wedding or a
funeral. So our plans for a narthex were put in place.
After that it seemed important that we reminded ourselves time and
time again who we are when we gather for worship. We are a people
who belong to Christ, who constantly gives us life. It would seem
appropriate therefore to have a baptismal font at the entrance to
our church, somewhere we could dip our hands into fresh, moving,
living water. |
|
New heating and new lighting
were obvious requirements. It was felt that the decor of the main
church should be white to attract as much brightness as possible.
The sanctuary area demanded much thought. Could the steps be rounded
to give a "softer" feel? Could the area be extended so that the
ambo, altar, tabernacle and presidential chair would each have their
own place of honour? What materials would be use for these precious
things? And, in addition to all these thoughts, could we bring
things of real beauty into our church? |
|
|
Stuart listened to our
thoughts and our questions and presented his plans. Into those plans
he brought the ideas of two artists that we wished to use.
David John is a liturgical designer and a sculptor who lives in
Stroud, Gloucestershire. We asked him to use his abundant skills to
provide for us a new baptismal font, ambo and altar in ancaster
stone. The tabernacle (in the form of a tent) was to be cast and
finished in polished aluminium and the -wooden presidential chair
was to be in a contemporary design. |
 |
|
The renowned
artist Stephen Foster, who lives in Ware, Hertfordshire,
has already been commissioned to produce work for
Liverpool Cathedral and for our own Cathedral in
Northampton. We asked him to produce for us an image of
the Risen Christ based on the themes of the ancient
Easter Exsultet Hymn: "This is the night when ]esus
Christ broke the chains of death and rose triumphant
from the grave".
And, amazingly,
through the reflections of the parish and the skills of
architect and artists, everything has now come into
place. It is a joy for us and we praise God for his many
blessings.
In years to come you will be able to tell your family and friends that you were part of
the excitement when Holy Family Church was so
beautifully refreshed. |
 |
|
|
