Holy Ghost Church in the 1920s

Holy Ghost Church in the 1920s

Bishop John Keily, 4th. Bishop of Plymouth, who consecrated the church on May 6th 1915 Bishop Mark O Toole 9th. and present Bishop of Plymouth

The entrance to Holy Ghost Church is through St Anne s Cloister. Here, we welcome you! Where we are in time Since 1887 when Bishop Vaughan sent Fr. Grainger to start a mission, the faithful have celebrated mass in and around Exmouth at several venues. The first regular mass was at The Lawn (now the Park Hotel) on October 30 th. In 1891 the catholic population of Exmouth rejoiced to have a corrugated iron mission church in Windsor Square, dedicated to St John the Evangelist. By the papal decree Sapiento Concilio, missions in England and Wales became canonical parishes in 1908. In 1912 Lord Clinton offered the site for the Church of the Holy Ghost and the present side aisle was built. Through the subsequent generosity of Mrs Maria Hamilton Thomas the nave and sanctuary were completed. The architect was Canon Alexander Scholes. In the 1960s, when the population of Exmouth was rapidly expanding, thought was given to the provision of a second church to serve the new estates. Canon O Malley s enthusiasm led to the foundation stone of St Anne s being laid in 1967 and the first mass and blessing by Bishop Cyril Restieaux taking place on March 27 th 1968. The land for the church was donated by two sisters, the Misses Payne. St Anne was chosen as the patron because local research had shown that in 1413 a petition had been submitted to Rome by the people of Withycombe (West Exmouth) requesting a chapel-of-ease, under the patronage of St Anne, at the ferry steps the present Glenorchy Church. This had never been built though, since there were, at that time, already three chapels-of-ease in the town. The architect of St Anne s, G.K.S.Symons, placed great emphasis on the quality of workmanship and construction. The contributions of local artists enriched Symons concept and these are now housed in Holy Ghost Church St Anne s having been demolished in 2006. Bishop

Christopher Budd blessed and opened St Anne s Cloister on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, May 4th. 2008. In St Anne s Cloister you will see Wesley B Potter s fused glass and block glass panels and Michael Clark s statue of St Anne and the young Virgin Mary. The Stations of the Cross were the gift of Marguerite Duncan and the cabinets the work of Michael Cheyne. The crucifix was given by Pat Humphries and Holman Hunt s Light of the World commemorates the Papal Visit of Benedict XVI to Great Britain. We enter the church through the original side door above which is a finely carved depiction of the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and the inscription VENI LUMEN CORDIUM come light of our hearts. This was gilded by David Britnell in 2008. On the right hand wall as you enter is the holy water stoup from the 14th century votive chapel of St Margaret of Antioch, rescued through the diligence of Miss Peggy Jago when Chapel Street was demolished to allow the construction of the Magnolia Centre. It was brought here from St Anne s church. Through the first doorway to the left we enter the nave of the 1912 church. On the wall are the first seven Stations of the Cross, restored by David Britnell in 2007 through the generosity of parishioners. The stained-glass window depicts the life of The Blessed Virgin Mary in the left hand panels we see her betrothal to Joseph and

the Annunciation by the Angel Gabriel; on the right-hand side, the Visitation to Elizabeth and the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The statue in the canopied niche is an alabaster St Joseph. We are now standing in front of the Lady Chapel where we see a coloured alabaster statue of Our Lady and the Child Jesus. The cinquefoil window above is in memory of Jeanne Watkins and those of St Edward, King and Confessor, and St George, Patron of England, were given by anonymous donors. On the walls of the Lady Chapel are requests for prayer and on the altar are stands for votive candles the gift of the Holy Family Convent. The Lady Chapel was restored in memory of Michael Fagan in 2007.

Turning to the right, we are now at the entrance to the sanctuary. The sanctuary and nave of the church were completed through the generosity of Maria Hamilton Thomas, as commemorated on the brass plate on the left hand wall of the sanctuary. The reredos and altar, incorporating the alabaster tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, was the gift of Canon Bernard Palmer, first rector of the church, in memory of his mother, Julia Maria Palmer.

The sanctuary was reordered in its present form by Fr Philip Austen in 2008. The altar and ambo in Ham Hill limestone were designed and made by Jay Battle, the panels depicting the flames of the Holy Spirit. Above the altar hangs the gilded crucifix made for St Anne s church by Philip Lindsey- Clark FRBS. Above the ambo, the stained glass window of the patron saints, Andrew, David, Patrick, George, Joan of Arc and Maurice, commemorates the allied soldiers and sailors who gave their lives in the First World War of 1914-18. It was donated by grateful parishioners. Walking down the nave, on the wall are the remaining seven Stations of the Cross. Through the oak screen is the Reconciliation Room (for the Sacrament of Reconciliation Confession). This was created by Fr Patrick Dorrian and houses an alabaster statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Above the entrance to the Reconciliation Room is a stained-glass window depicting the reformation martyrs St Thomas More with his pet monkey and St John Fisher with his cardinal s hat.

Looking up to the gallery, we see the latest addition to the church. To commemorate the centenary of the consecration of Holy Ghost Church on May 6th 1915, current benefactors of the parish have enabled the installation of three new lancet windows depicting the radiance of the Holy Spirit. This is the work of Stuart Low, a Bristolbased glass artist. Through the glass screen we enter the baptismal area with the font of limestone and Purbeck marble and the Paschal Candle. The stainedglass windows depicting The Blessed Virgin Mary and St Joseph were placed there in 1918 in memory of Louisa Roche. Returning to St Anne s Cloister we pass the glass-fronted aumbry containing the Holy Oils of The Sick, Catechumens and Chrism. Stained-glass windows in the Narthex (1918) St Anthony of Padua Our Lady and the Child Jesus St Joseph St Francis of Assisi

Parish Priests of Exmouth 1887-1898 Monsignor John Grainger 1901-1922 Fr. Bernard Palmer 1922-1928 Fr. Daniel Kavanagh 1928-1973 Canon John O Malley 1973-1976 Canon Desmond Haslehurst 1976-1988 Fr Patrick Dorrian 1988-2004 Canon Laurence Costello 2004 - Fr Philip Austen Fr Bernard Palmer Canon John O Malley Canon Desmond Haslehurst

Fr Patrick Dorrian Canon Larry Costello Fr Philip Austen

Photographs by the kind permission of Eric Howard Mike Richards Fr Philip Austen

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