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1985 1985 is bound to go down as the year of anniversaries for the diocese of East Anglia, as you know I have celebrated the fortieth of my priesthood, and now you are celebrating sixty years of the Church of the Sacred Heart and St. Margaret Mary. Anniversaries make us look back on the years that have gone by, hopefully with much gratitude. Yes, together we give thanks for the sixty years of the presence of your church. Its presence is a sign of the love and forgiveness of God. Cardinal Hume once said to a group of young people that whenever they saw a church, they were to see it as a symbol that God wanted them. He is so right! God wants you and me to be, in the world today, witnesses of his love, bearers of his forgiveness and truth. Whenever you come to the Church of the Sacred Heart and St. Margaret Mary, to celebrate the Sacraments of Christ's love, remember that what you receive you are called to share. May the Church in continue to blossom and grow in the service of Christ. Yours devotedly,

+Alan C. Clark Bishop of East Anglia The first record of Catholics in East Dereham is in 1834, although undoubtedly there would have been Catholics in the area before that year; three were recorded at and five in East Dereham. One of these, a Mrs. Skerritt is recorded in "The Diary1, written by Rev. Benjamin Armstrong, as having borrowed a book from him. At the time, East Dereham would have been in Costessey Parish.

It is reputed that Priests must have visited the Town occasionally, but there appears to be no further reference to Catholics until 1911. At this time, a series of Lectures were held in the Corn Hall by the Motor Mission, each attended by over seven hundred people, the Mission being led by Mgr. Benson, the son of the then late Archbishop of Canterbury, Fr. Vaughan, nephew of Cardinal Vaughan, and Fr. Norgate, son of an Anglican Vicar. The nightly addresses were "What Catholics Believe" and the Police were always present, but although there was always dissention amongst some, there was no violence. Arising out of the Dereham Missions, a number of Conve'rts were made amongst whom was a girl of seventeen subsequently to become Mrs. May Rayner, who was received into the Church at in 1912. The times were difficult for Catholics and when the Bishop arranged a Mission at Dereham, he was abused and spat upon, and attempts were made to overturn his car. Before the latter part of 1911, Fr. Gray celebrated Mass in a private house and later made use of the Bull Club Room. During the Great War, the Club Room was taken over by the military authorities as a billet, and so Fr. Gray had nowhere to say Mass. After a number of years he made arrangements to say Mass in a small room of the Postmasters House which was made into an Oratory. Also at this time Fr. Gray arranged each Christmas for a Horse and Wagon holding 10 persons to travel to for Christmas Day Mass.

It was not, however, until 1925 that the first official Church for Roman Catholics was opened, record of this having been given in The Journal (later to become the Dereham and Fakenham Times) for Saturday 25th July 1925. The first building was a temporary wooden structure provided by the Guild of Ransom upon a piece of land previously known for many years as the Children's Recreation Ground, situated at the corner of London Road and Commercial Road, and purchased by Fr. Gray.

OPENING OF THE FIRST CHURCH IN DEREHAM - 1925 - 2 - At that time the Church Land extended as far as the Traffic Island at the junction of the two roads. This building was consecrated and dedicated to The Sacred Heart and St. Margaret Mary on Tuesday 21st July 1925. For the occasion, High Mass was celebrated by the Bishop of Northampton, Bishop Carey-Elwes. The Clergy assisting at the time were the Rev. Mgr. Freeland Vicar General, Canon Flint (Lynford), Canon Eelee (Lynn), Canon Garrett (Wellingborough), The Rev. Frs. Carter (), Alban (Buckingham), Edward Scott (), Wainwright (Norwich), Fitzgerald (), Ketterer (Swaffham), and Gray (Fakenham).

INSIDE OF 1925 CHURCH

- 3 - The Bishop in his address remarked that there were things in the history of the world which seemed written in letters of gold, but they were nothing when compared with the things which God did. The occasion being celebrated could be called an act which God performed not only for his own honour but also out of pity, love and compassion for the creatures He had made. In these things He took His own time, which often seemed long and weary to us, but which should be a matter of waiting and prayer that His will might be done for His glory and our salvation. The One Hundred strong Catholic congregation, despite the wet weather, were subsequently present at the luncheon at the King's Head Hotel at which the Bishop presided. Tribute was paid by him to the hard work put in by Fr. Gray in the erection of the New Church1 and Sir Henry Bedingfield proposed the toast of the Bishop. Whilst the opening of the little Timber Church at Dereham was in itself not a major event, it was nevertheless great in its portent. Centuries before, there was no place in that was so Catholic, so full of devotion, so joined in unity with the spirit of the Church of God on earth as that part of Norfolk. A statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, which is in the Church today, was given by Mr. & Mrs. F. Rayner in memory of the death of their son Kenneth in 1939. The Monstrance was given in memory of the Rev. Fr. George Fressanges of Norwich, who was killed during the war. Many other gifts were given at this time, and indeed over the years the Church has flourished because of the generosity of the parishioners in giving many items for Church use and - 4 - decoration as well as financial gifts. Also around this time a great landmark appeared at the entrance to the Church land, namely the large Statue of the Sacred Heart, it was erected in 1932 and still has a prominent place at the gate of the Church.

STATUE ON SITE - 1932

At the time of the Motor Mission a few converts came into the Church and this steady trickle continued, and during the time Fr. Ketterer served Dereham, Mr. & Mrs. Charlie & Vi Seeker were converted to the Catholic Faith and received into the Church.

Having served the needs of the Parish for eighteen years, it became apparent in 1947 that the little wooden Church had become quite - 5 - inadequate for the needs of the increasing congregation. The War years had prevented works of repair being carried out and in wet weather, water rained down upon the altar and the worshippers, with the result that the Church became so damp the Blessed Sacrament could no longer be reserved there. In the year 1949, the Church ceased to be used except for Holy Days and the Assembly Rooms in Dereham became used for Sunday Mass. The Timber Church was eventually given up in October 1950, when work was begun on erecting a new Church. In the meantime, the Assembly Rooms, Market Place, Dereham, which was also used as a Magistrates Court Rooms, on Fridays and the Council Chamber on Monday and Tuesday evenings, became the venue for Masses due to the dedication and help given by Mrs. May Rayner and her husband, who erected a temporary altar and moved the furniture before and after each Mass.

OUTSIDE OF THE NEW CHURCH - 1951 - 6 - Mr. & Mrs. Rayner were indeed great workers and benefactors of the Church for many years, and Mr. Rayner died only recently in October 1982 in Norwich.

The building of the new Church commenced in 1950 as designed by Mr. Donovan Purcell and was finally completed in September 1951, and on 23rd September the new Church was opened and Blessed by His Lordship the Bishop of Northampton, the Rt. Rev. Mgr. Leo Parker. Built at a cost of £5,000 the new Church although simple in design has a semi-circular apse surmounted by a semi-dome.

INSIDE OF THE NEW CHURCH - 1951

- 7 - The Church was intended to hold about One Hundred and Fifty people and was especially designed to permit enlargement at a future date, should Dereham ultimately become a self- supporting Parish with a Priest of its own. The then congregation of One Hundred or more Roman Catholics received visits from the Rev. Fr. M.L. Cowin of .

At the opening of the Church, the Bishop offered Mass assisted by the Rev. Fr. J.J. Ketterer of Kings Lynn, and Rev. Fr. G. Hulme of Walsingham. The Bishop in his address said the Church was the workshop as it were, of the supernatural works of Almighty God and he urged the congregation to use their Church. The New Church was blessed by the Bishop, assisted by Fr. Ketterer, by sprinklings Holy Water on the walls inside and out. The opening ceremony was followed by a Reception in the evening at which the Bishop received and spoke to members of the Dereham congregation. This took place at the former Kings Arms Hotel (which is now Woolworths). Fr. Hulme was there, as was Fr. Ketterer, who had served Dereham Catholics for Twelve years. Canon Gray as he subsequently became, had died a few months earlier. A number of the Wymondham congregation were also present.

In 1968, a new altar which remains to this day, designed by Mr. Conal O'Donnell, replaced the former altar. The new altar was constructed by Mid-Norfolk Concrete Co. Ltd., and allowed the Priest for the first time to celebrate Mass facing the congregation. About this time the present Organ was purchased for £200 out of a fund provided by members of the congreg- ation, by the Organist, Mrs. Herbert, who arranged the acquisition, and was for many years the Organist, sadly she died in 1984, aged 92. By this time the congregation had grown, and although Dereham was not a Parish, it was organising various Parish activities. A Parish Council was formed and met for the first time in April 1968, gradually this developed, a Treasurer was elected, Minutes were recorded, and an Annual General Meeting was held. In 1973 a re-arrangement of the Parishes in the district resulted in Dereham being amalgamated with Swaffham and R.A.F. , severing its previous connection with Watton and Wymondham with which it had been amalgam- ated before. This meant that Fr. Brophy ceased to be the Parish Priest and he was succeeded by Fr. A. Sketch.

In September 1973, at the A.G.M., the Treasurer furnished his report resolving and clarifying the accounts of the Council, and it was resolved thenceforth that the Council would be known as the Church Council, and not the Parish Council, so as to avoid confusion. It was resolved that Committee Meetings should be held monthly. Another sign of the developing Parish Life among the Dereham Congregation was the founding in 1971 of the Union of Catholic Mothers. Miss Eileen Downer was the founder and the first President was Mrs. Shepherd. The organisation continues in the Parish and now has 34 members, the meetings are held monthly and the members form a very strong and reliable backbone in the Parish. On the 30th September 1973, Bishop Alan Clark's Visitation Day and Confirmation Day for 6 boys and 1 girl. After the ceremony upwards of 80 parishioners gathered at the Kings Head Hotel in the Garden Room for a Buffet Lunch. They were thus able to meet Bishop Clark and bid a - 9 - personal farewell to Fr. Brophy to whom a cheque was presented with the thanks of all the Parishioners for the work he had done during the 7 years they were in his care. In the November of the same year, there was a Social gathering to welcome Fr. Tony Sketch. Early in 1974, Fr. Sketch and the Committee of the Church Council initiated plans to build a Priest's House and adjoining Hall, subject to planning permission being secured, but provision of the Hall was subsequently dropped when it was learned that this was not looked upon with favour by the Diocesan authorities.

GROUP OF GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATION 1975

- 10 - In 1975, the Sanctuary and the Aisles received fitted carpets and the Altar Rails were removed after which it became the practice to receive Communion standing up. On July 21st 1975, the Golden Jubilee of the Church was celebrated with Bishop Alan Clark as the Chief Celebrant, assisted by Canon McBride and Frs. L. Hammond, R. Connelly, P. Bailey, D. Brophy, M. Minto, A. Sketch, and this was followed by a Reception at the Kings Head Hotel, to which many Parishioners came. On 1st October 1975, Fr. Julian Peter Marsh became the first Parish Priest of Dereham. He came from Wellingborough and began living temporarily at R.A.F. Swanton Morley in the Officers Mess until such time as the Church House was built. Part of the land on the North Side of the Church was disposed of, with the benefit of Planning Permission, and the proceeds of £6,250 utilised towards the cost of the new Church House. Later that month a Hail and Farewell evening was held to greet Fr. Marsh and say thank you and good bye to Fr. Sketch. On 28th February 1976, building started on the Church House and Mr. Michael Reavey, a member of our Parish was given the contract. With the arrival of Fr. Marsh the Parish now became a fully independent Parish community, and many first's occurred, the first Parish A.G.M., Christmas 1975 saw Midnight Mass for the first time in Dereham. Eventually, in September 1976, the House was completed and the various meetings and events took place there. Another regular at the Church House was the Sunday School, during the time of Fr. Brophy some Nuns from Massingham came over to take Sunday School. Then under Fr. Sketch, a - 11 - hall had been hired and several people in the Parish took the lessons. Now the lessons are held in the House during the Liturgy of the Word of the Sunday Mass, 5 people teach the children and some 30 children attend, this service is much appreciated by all the Parish.

At this time, the boundaries of Dereham Parish were made known and confirmed as comprising: Little , Great Fransham, Beeston, , , Elmham, Billingford, , Alderford, Morton, Weston, Honingham, Danemoor Green, Reymerston, Southburgh, , , East Bradenham, and West Bradenham.

MAP OF PARISH

- 12 - During all this time the Church had never been Consecrated, so this was the next event, and Bishop Clark came to Consecrate the Church on September 24th 1976. The Bishop blessed and wore the new White Vestments made by the Parishioners. The New Church House also was blessed. Fr. Sketch and Fr. Brophy were also invited for this great event.

FRS. BROPHY, SKETCH, & MARSH WITH BISHOP CLARK On 20th July 1980 Mr. Tim Lynch was commissioned as the first Lay Minister for Holy Communion for the Parish by the Bishop. Later it became necessary to commission two others, Mr. Felix Jackson and Mr. Robert Watson. These three men take Communion to the Sick of the Parish every

- 13 - week, assist at Mass and take Communion Services when no Priest is available.

On 27th September 1980, the Parish said farewell to Fr. Marsh who was moved to Newmarket. A social was held at the Conservative Hall to say thank you. The food was provided by the U.C.M., Fr. Marsh was presented with several gifts, he was well liked and will be missed by non-Catholic as well as Catholic people in Dereham. On 1st October Canon Edward McBride was transferred to Dereham as Parish Priest from St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Norwich. Canon McBride introduced the Parish Mass Books in lieu of the Simple Prayer Books, and held monthly Bible Classes which were most instructive and were enjoyed by those who attended. Early in 1981, New Stations of the Cross, hand carved in wood were secured by Canon McBride from Italy with the aid of contributions from some of the Parishioners. The new Stations of the Cross which had arrived were put in place on 5th July as well as the new wooden Statue of the Sacred Heart and blessed at a special service. A Civic Service for Dereham Town Council was held for the first time in the Church in June. At this time a new face page for the Parish Bulletin was added from a design originated by Fit. Lt. Terry Weaver, subsequently reduced by Mr. Mulcahy. Since then, the Bulletin has been changed again to show the Statue of the Sacred Heart. In October the Church was completely re-wired electrically, and the hanging lights were replaced with fixed lights at eaves level. In order to produce added revenue for the Church, in March 1982, Canon McBride instigated the forming of a 100 Club, a system which had been successful in other - 14 - Parishes, and this proved to be a great success and because of the increased number of Parishioners interested, it became the 130 Club. The Club, whilst basically a Parish Fundraising Organisation, also provided monthly prizes for a few lucky parishioners. The Dereham Parish was also taking part in the wider Church at large so the Parish was greatly involved in preparing for the National Pastoral Congress which took place in Liverpool in 1980. Fr. Marsh was one of the Priests chosen to go and two members of the Parish also attended this three day event. In 1982, the Parish was very involved with the visit of Pope John Paul II to Britain. Canon McBride was the Diocesan co-ordinator and some 37 people went to see the Holy Father at Wembley. A few of the sick people were also lucky enough to be able to go to the Mass for the sick at Southwark Cathedral.

After a short stay of two years, Canon Edward McBride (Fr. Mac to his Parishioners) was asked to go to Ipswich, St. Mary Magdalen Parish, and this sad occasion was preceded by the news of his departure at the A.G.M. and Social held on September 21st.

On the day of Fr. Mac's departure, Fr. Philip Shryane was welcomed to the Parish from St. Mary's, Ipswich. Fr. Shryane's induction was celebrated on 7th December 1982, the Celebrant being the Vicar-General, Canon Edward McBride, in the presence of various Civic Authorities who were invited. The concelebrating clergy were Fr. Bernard Taylor (West Earlham), who read the induction as the representative of the Dean of Norwich, who was unable to attend. Fr. K. Chapman (Wymondham), Fr. J. Reffitt (Swaffham), Fr. David Bagstaff (Norwich - 15 - Cathedral), Fr. P. Cleary (Ipswich St. Mary's), Fr. Anthony Shryane (Thetford), Fr. S. Talbot (St. George's) and Deacon Ron O'Toole. The usual pleasant social evening followed. A few weeks later on 9th January 1983, Fr. Philip Shryane was asked by Bishop Clark to be Chaplain of the Sixth Form at Notre Dame School, Norwich, a job he continued until a taking on the Chaplaincy of Wayland Prison in 1985. In May 1983, Fr. Joachim Massawi of Tanzania flew in to Norwich Airport to be met by Fr. Shryane for an 8 week stay, during which time he hoped to study the farming methods in and around Norfolk from his base at Bawdeswell, and Fr. Jo, as he was affectionately known, assisted Fr. Shryane with weekday Masses and other duties within the Parish. In August, Fr. Jo bade his farewells at a special Barbeque held at Toftwood Scouts Hall, and departed eventually laden with gifts from everyone. Later it was possible to send a container to Fr. Jo, this was filled with flour, salt, soap and many other basic goods, donated by Parishioners and members of St. Nicholas Church of England Church.

Fr. Jo was the third visitor from abroad. In 1979, Fr. Cletus Perera from Sri Lanka came to stay for the Summer. This was his first visit to Britain. He had been doing a three year history course in Rome. Fr. Perera was a Sylvestrine Benedictine, and until last year worked in a Parish in Wahacotte. Our 1977 overseas project was to support some of his work for young people. A happy Social evening was held in the September to say farewell to Fr. Perera, he was well liked, and certainly earned his keep whilst he was here! - 16 - Fr. Hilarion, also a Sylvestrine Benedictine from Sri Lanka, came to stay in October 1979. He was with us until he could find somewhere to stay nearer the University of East Anglia, where he was starting a three year degree course. On 20th June 1982, at Mass, Fr. Hilarion made an appeal for his home village in Sri Lanka where the people are so very poor. Because of this, and our friendly relationship with both Fr. Perera and Fr. Hilarion, the Parish decided to give support to the poor of Sri Lanka as an ongoing overseas project. During the Summer Fr. Hilarion went to work as holiday relief in some Parishes in Germany before returning to Sri Lanka. He got through his U.E.A. Course with Honours.

CONSTRUCTION OF NEW EXTENSION - 1984

- 17 - In June 1983, Fr. Shryane confirmed that he had asked the Diocesan Architect to prepare the appropriate drawings and plans of the proposed extension to the Church, which were discussed and agreed upon by the Parish as a whole.

THE PRESENT CHURCH COMPLETE WITH NEW EXTENSION - 1984

At Christmas the large new Nativity Figures, previously acquired to replace the smaller ones, were unveiled for the first time in front of the Altar to the general approval of the Parishioners.

- 18 - INSIDE THE NEW EXTENSION In March 1984, Planning Permission for the Extension to the Church was given by the Local Authority, and the work started in July. Due to the closure of the Church between July and December 1984, whilst the extension was being constructed, at the invitation of the Rev. Harry Tait and the Church Authorities of St. Nicholas, Dereham, the Catholic Congregation attended Mass on Sunday at St. Nicholas, a delightful pre-reformation Church, steeped in history. This was the beginning of a much closer liaison between the two Churches, and several Social events, as well as joint services have been enjoyed since this time of sharing. - 19 - INSIDE THE NEW EXTENSION The Church extension which provides further seating space for the Congregation and also Toilet and Kitchen facilities, and a dual- purpose meeting place, was completed early in December, and following general cleaning of the building, a grand opening occurred on 7th December 1984, at which the extension was blessed during Mass celebrated by Bishop Alan Clark. Several visiting Priests from neighbouring Parishes concelebrated, and amongst the Congregation were non-Catholic Clergy and Civic Dignitaries and friends from the other Churches, and past members of the Parish. The Church looked beautiful, with delightful flower arrangements for the occasion. - 20 - After Mass, the new Extension was 'christened1 and everyone enjoyed the Buffet and Wine.

THE NEW PORCH

To conclude the first sixty years of the Sacred Heart Church in Dereham, we must look at the present, and then to the future. We now have more organisations working actively in the parish, the Co-Workers of Mother Theresa of Calcutta beaver away making blankets and bandages for the work of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. We also have the Walsingham Association with some 35 members, raising money for the support of the Shrine at Walsingham and making it possible for some of the sick of the Parish to get over to Walsingham from time to time. In recent days - 21 - we have started a Youth Group for the 13+ age in the Parish, and we hope this will continue alongside the longer running 16+ group who take part in many Diocesan youth events, as well as being active within the Parish. We also have the beginnings of a more regular gathering of the elderly and housebound people. We hope that all of these activities will cont- inue to grow and flourish within the Parish.

We have then a growing sense of community, which is a very positive step for the future, and shows that as a Parish we are also striving to put the Gospel message into our lives in practical terms. There are many signs of this community growing together, but I suggest that there are two that are central, the care that we have for one another, and the need to meet together to pray. We have seen something of v. the first of these signs and the second is beginning to grow now, with many people gather- ing together for Communion Services when no Priest is available to celebrate Mass, these services are lead by the Special Eucharistic Ministers. These are all signs of a growing and flourishing community and they augur well for the future of the Catholic community in Dereham.

Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Robert Clark and Mrs. Sheila Goodchild, who prepared this history, gathering the material and editing and typing out the draft copies. The information was gathered from Parish records, from Parishioners personal memories, and from a diary of the Parish kept by Miss Madeleine Lambert. Many thanks to these three people in particular, and to all the others who had a hand in preparing this booklet.

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