Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
J H Newman (Bristol Group)
Father Peter Clarke (Pastor)
It is now over a year since Pope Benedict created the Ordinariate in England, Wales and Scotland. Following this wonderful event Bishop Declan allocated the Bristol Group the privilege of worshipping at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Weston super Mare. This small, but beautiful church has now become our spiritual home, and we have been made to feel extremely welcome by Deacon Tom, his servers, his choir and the wider congregation.
As the Bristol Ordinariate Group is drawn from such a wide geographical area, ranging from the City, into North Somerset and as far afield as Chard and Minehead, it is only practical to meet at St Joseph's on the second Sunday of each month. On these Sundays Father Peter Clarke celebrates Mass at Noon, followed by a 'bring and share' lunch in the church hall. During the early afternoon we celebrate either Evening Prayer or Benediction.
Although we are a small group, consisting of about 23 members, we are able to support Father Peter with two priests, Father John Morley-Bunker from Bristol and Father Michael Galloway from Chard. We also are able to field three of our own Servers and several readers.
During our Sunday Masses we have been greatly helped by the presence of Deacon Tom and Server Peter, who have both been of valuable assistance in setting up before and during the Service. Many of St Joseph's regular worshippers attend our Masses, which swells the congregation to about 50 people.
The highlight of our first year was the visit in February '12 of our Ordinary, Monsignor Keith Newton, to St Joseph's. Mgr Keith celebrated and preached at the noon Mass and celebrated Benediction after joining us for a buffet lunch in the church hall.
During Easter, Father Peter was pleased to celebrate the Tridium on behalf of the Catholic congregation, and several members of the Ordinariate were able to attend in support.
On the Sundays that members of our Group are not worshipping at St Joseph's, they are to be found in a variety on other catholic churches. For example, some of our members attend the churches of Our Lady of Lourdes and Corpus Christi in Weston, and St Francis, Nailsea. Further afield our members attend the Sacred Heart in Minehead, the Holy Ghost, Yeovil and the English Martyrs, Chard.
It is early days for the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, which includes our Bristol Group, but nationally we now have over 60 clergy and 1300 laity. We are confident that our numbers will continue to increase, both nationwide and in our local area.
Enquiries should be made to Father Peter Clarke, 6 West Camel Farm, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 7HH. Tel 01935 850408. Email:- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
