Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Kimberley, B.C.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Kimberly, B.C. Canada

Church Sign

"The first Catholic Church influence in Kimberley was initiated by Father Coccola, the famous priest, missionary and explorer who visited the new mines on the "hill" during the period of 1900-1910. Periodic visits were made by the missionaries from St. Eugene's and in 1910, when work assumed larger proportions, another great missionary, Father Duplanil visited Kimberley. He would come up from the Mission to say Mass in Joe Irwin's log cabin at 5:30 in the morning, as breakfast was at 6:00, and work began at 7:00 A.M.

"On April 16, 1911 the little mission had its first Easter Mass when Father Beck rode up from the Mission on horseback and said Mass in Tom Summer's Store, on Spokane Street.

"The spiritual needs of the Mission were attended to in like manner until 1922 when the first Sacred Heart Church was built by Father Bessette on the corner of Wallinger and Howard Street.

"It was a gala day when the church was blessed by Father Althoff, V.G. of Nelson, assisted by-Father Bessette and Father Stephen Murphy of Cranbrook. A choir and organist came from Cranbrook, and the little band of pioneer Catholics rejoiced that they had seen their dreams and hopes finally realized.

"History would not be complete without mentioning how our early pioneers worked together, regardless of race or creed. Not having their own choir or organist, Mr. and Mrs. John Dickson, parents of Mrs. J. J. O'Neill, volunteered their services, and the strains of Leonard's Mass in F wafted from the little church, sung by Mr. Dickson, a stalwart Presbyterian, and Mrs. Dickson, a staunch Anglican, who also played the organ. The Midnight Mass found Dick Burke holding a flashlight as Mrs. Dickson played and sang "Oh Holy Night".

"At the beginning of 1925 came the energetic Father Hartman, 0.M.I., under whose leadership the new church and rectory were built on the Church Hill and completed in 1927.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church

"... the parish hall was built in 1958. This proved to be a much needed asset for the parishioners, as it became the center of C.W.L., Knights of Colum-bus and catechetical activities, kindergarten, classes, teas and catering.

"In May of 1967 ...Father Doyle arrived in Kimberley ...As well as attending to the spiritual needs of the parish, Father Doyle and Father Martin worked arduously to improve the appearance of both the church and the grounds. The church was also Bavarianized to blend with the City's new look, making a most pleasing and fitting landmark to welcome incoming and departing visitors to Kimberley."  (Link.)

Parish Hall, Built in 1958

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Photos: Taken in 2019 by Amy Wilson while visiting in Kimberley.

Link:   https://kimberleykeePaP pers.ca/others/catholic.shtml

Entrance to Chapel & Prayer Room

London Airport Chapel
Gatwick Airport
London, England

"Our chapel & prayer rooms, located in both North and South Terminal, are open 24 hours a day to people of all faiths for private prayer and meditation. 

"Christian services are held regularly by the Anglican, Roman Catholic and Free Church chaplains. Buddhist services are held every Monday and on significant dates for major traditions. Services usually last 25 minutes, and details are posted on the noticeboard outside the chapel and on the chaplaincy website.

"The South Terminal chapel is on the third floor level near Caffè Nero (before security).

"he North Terminal chapel is on the first floor, before the entrance to Hampton by Hilton. "(Link 1.)

Chapel & Prayer Room

"Aside from a daily roster of services for various denominations and faiths, the Chaplaincy team serves the airport in a variety of ways including helping passengers, staff and visitors in matters spiritual, emotional and practical, often working with Travel Care, the airport charity assisting those who have missed planes, lost passports or otherwise run into problems. In major and minor emergencies, chaplaincy staff are trained to work with other emergency services to support passengers, families and staff, coordinating with the wider Emergency Responders network in Sussex.

"The Chaplaincy has played an active role during emergency situations over the years:
2004: Asian Tsunami
2011: Libyan crisis
2012: Blizzard closure and airport dig-out
2014: Virgin Airways emergency landing
2015: Tunisian terrorist attack urgent repatriation flights

"Some duties are less onerous, for example greeting Pope John Paul 11 when he arrived for his epic visit to Britain in 1982.

"The multifaith core of the chaplaincy mission is also continually developing with the recent addition of a Buddhist lay priest and a Muslim faith leader, offering regular services and pastoral support. Despite this growing diversity, the Gatwick Chaplaincy remains a mission primarily concerned with each and all of the 30,000 people routinely working in or passing through the airport, rather than specific denominations." (Link 2.)

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Photos: Taken by RW  in Oct. 2018 with Iphone while travelling in London.                                                                

Link 1: https://www.gatwickairport.com/at-the-airport/passenger-services/chapel-prayer-room/

Link 2: https://gatwickairportchapel.org/wordpress/

                                                                      Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

St. Dunstan & All Saints Anglican Church

St. Dunstan & All Saints
the Parish Church of Stepney
London, England

"St Dunstan's, Stepney is an Anglican Church which stands on a site that has been used for Christian worship for over a thousand years. It is located in Stepney High Street, in Stepney, London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Church Sign

"In about AD 952 the Bishop of London — who is also Lord of the Manor of Stepney — replaced the existing wooden structure with a stone church dedicated to All the Saints. In 1029, when Dunstan was canonised, the church was rededicated to St Dunstan and All Saints, a dedication it has retained.

"Up until the early fourteenth century the church served the whole of Middlesexeast of the City of London. Then new churches were built at Whitechapel and Bow. The existing building is the third on the site and was built of Kentish ragstone mainly in the fifteenth century (although the chancel dates from 200 years earlier). A porch and octagonal parish room were added in 1872.

"The church was restored extensively in 1899, at a cost of £5,600. The vestries and some of the main building were destroyed by fire on 12 October 1901, including the organ which had carvings by Grinling Gibbons. The restoration cost £7,084, and the church was re-opened in June 1902 by the Bishop of Stepney.

St. Dunstan and All Saints Anglican Church

"The ring of ten bells, the heaviest weighing 28¾ hundredweight, which hang in the belfry, were cast at the local Whitechapel Bell Foundry and are tuned to C#. The seven oldest bells were cast by Thomas Mears and Son, Whitechapel, in 1806. The bells were re-hung in 1899.^[1] Three were recast in 1952 when repairs were made to the tower.^[3] The bells are mentioned in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons: "When will that be, say the bells of Stepney."

St. Dunstan and All Saints Anglican Church

"The church has a long, traditional link with the sea and many sailors were buried here. It was once known as the 'Church of the High Seas'. " (Link.)

St. Dunstan & All Saints Anglican Church

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Photos: Taken by RW  in Oct. 2018 with Iphone while travelling in London.                                                                  

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Dunstan%27s,_Stepney

                                                                   Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

St. Mary's Cable Street

St. Mary Cable Street Church of England
London, England


"This parish, originally part of Christ Church, Watney Street, was a very poor slum know as Sun Tavern Fields, or No Man's Land. The Vicar of Christ Church, William Quekett, had opened schools in arches under the London and Blackwall Railway, and in 1847 he appealed for funds to build permanent schools and a church. Lord Richard Grosvenor laid the foundation stone of a new school, designed by George Smith, who was architect to the Mercers' Company, on 2 May 1848. This was opened on 12 October 1849 on the same day that Lord Haddo, the eldest son of the Earl of Aberdeen, laid the foundation stone of the new church.

Entrance

"Lord Haddo had known the district for some years, having been connected with St Jude's Whitechapel, and had admired the work of Mr Quekett. When he had heard about the need for a church in the area he at once offered to build and endow one. Frederick J Francis, the architect of St Jude's, designed a simple church without a tower and spire, which was to seat 1000. The idea of adding a tower and spire occurred to Lord Haddo while the church was being built, and Francis was told to design and build them. The total cost of building St Mary's Church, including an endowment of £3,200, was £10,000.

"The building was consecrated by the Bishop of Winchester on 22 May 1850, on which occasion the donor modestly sat at the back of the church and refused an invitation to the luncheon that followed. The dedication to St Mary was made at Lord Haddo's request as a tribute to his wife.

"The church is designed in the early 'middle-pointed' style of the early fourteenth century, and built in brick faced in coursed limestone. It consists of a nave and aisles of five bays with a shallow chancel. The base of the tower forms the lower vestry. A room at first-floor level, open to the chancel to the north, was probably originally intended as the organ chamber, but now serves as the upper vestry. There is a small gallery at the west end of the nave. Galleries were probably intended for the north and south aisles, but these were never constructed.

Altar

"There are two fonts, both by the west porch: one, the original, is a large stone construction with an unusual wooden cover. The second, a small wooden one, serves as a holy water stoup, and came originally from the chapel of a home for fallen women in Paddington.

"The original pulpit was of stone, but was later replaced by one of carved oak, said to have come from a demolished City church c1880. This, and the original choir stalls, were removed in the re-ordering of the church in 1986. In the short chancel, the High Altar and tester above it were installed in the 1950s as a memorial to Fr Robert Thornewill, who was the Vicar from 1914 to 1950. The nave altar and reordering were executed in memory of Fr Peter Clynick, the Vicar from 1959 to 1985.

Sanctuary and Altar

"One of the more remarkable pieces of furniture in the church is a lectern of carved wood, representing an angel with outstretched wings, above an anchor. The base and stand are of different origins, and the piece predates the building of the church, probably made up from late seventeenth century woodwork. The communion rails in the south aisle are of a similar date. The painted altar in the south aisle came from a convent in Kilburn, c1890. On the wall of the south aisle hangs an unusual memorial board with names, including donors, from 1864 to 1956.

"In the north aisle there is a series of five stained glass windows, c1930, by Christopher Charles Powell. They illustrate various incidents in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth of Christ, the Presentation in the Temple and the Epiphany. The pipe organ was installed very soon after the consecration of the church, and is a virtually unaltered early example of the work of 'Father' Willis." (Link  3.)

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Photos: Taken by RW  in Oct. 2018 with Iphone while travelling in London.                                                                                                                        

Link 1:  https://www.facebook.com/pg/StMarysCableSt/about/?ref=page_internal

Link 2:  http://stmaryscablest.blogspot.com/

Link 3:  http://stmaryscablest.blogspot.com/2007/11/st-marys-cable-street-brief-history.html      

                                                                        Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

s

St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral

St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral
London, England

"St Paul's Cathedral, London, is an Anglican cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. It sits on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Cathedral, dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren. Its construction, completed in Wren's lifetime, was part of a major rebuilding programme in the City after the Great Fire of London.

"The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognizable sights of London. Its dome, framed by the spires of Wren's City churches, has dominated the skyline for over 300 years."^[At 365 feet (111 m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1967. The dome is among the highest in the world. St Paul's is the second-largest church building in area in the United Kingdom after Liverpool 

St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral

"St Paul's is unusual among cathedrals in that there is a crypt, the largest in Europe, 

"Internally, St Paul's has a nave and choir in each of its three bays....

"A clock was installed in the south-west tower by Langley Bradley in 1709 but was worn out by the end of the 19th century....The present mechanism was built in 1893.

"The organ was commissioned from Bernard Smith in 1694.^[59] The current instrument is the third-largest ^[57] in Great Britain in terms of number of pipes (7,189), with 5 manuals, 189 ranks of pipes and 138 stops, enclosed in an impressive case designed in Wren's workshop and decorated by Grinling Gibbons

"The southwest tower also contains four bells, of which Great Paul, cast in 1881... at 16

 ¹⁄₂ long tons (16,800 kg) was the largest bell in the British Isles until the casting of the Olympic Bell for the 2012 London Olympics" (Link.)

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Photos: Taken by RW  in Oct. 2018 with Iphone while travelling in London.

Link : Cathedral.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Paul%27s_Cathedralade I listed building. 

                                                                         Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

All Hallows Church

All Hallows Church By The Tower
London, England

"All Hallows-by-the-Tower, also previously dedicated to St Mary the Virgin^[1] and sometimes known as All Hallows Barking, is an ancient Anglican church on Byward Street in the City of London, overlooking the Tower of London.

"Founded in 675, it is one of the oldest churches in London, and contains inside a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon arch with recycled Roman tiles, the oldest surviving piece of church fabric in the city.

Sanctuary and Altar

"All Hallows-by-the-Tower was first established in 675 by the Anglo-SaxonAbbey at Barking^[2] and was for many years named after the abbey, as All Hallows Barking. The church was built on the site of a former Roman building, traces of which have been discovered in the crypt. It was expanded and rebuilt several times between the 11th and 15th centuries.^[3] Its proximity to the Tower of London meant that it acquired royal connections, with Edward IV making one of its chapels a royal chantry and the beheaded victims of Tower executions being sent for temporary burial at All Hallows.

"he church was badly damaged by an explosion in 1650^[4] caused when some barrels of gunpowder being stored in the churchyard exploded; its west tower and some 50 nearby houses were destroyed, and there were many fatalities. The tower was rebuilt in 1658, the only example of work carried out on a church during the Commonwealth era of 1649–1660. It only narrowly survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 and owes its survival to Admiral William Penn, father of William Penn of Pennsylvania fame, who had his men from a nearby naval yard demolish the surrounding buildings to create firebreaks. During the Great Fire, Samuel Pepys climbed the church's spire to watch "the progress of the blaze and what he described as "the saddest sight of desolation".  

Exterior Church Sign

"Restored in the late 19th century, All Hallows was gutted by German bombers during the Blitz in World War II and required extensive reconstruction, only being rededicated in 1957.

"Many portions of the old church survived the War and have been sympathetically restored.^[5] Its outer walls are 15th-century, with a 7th-century Saxon arch doorway surviving from the original church, which is the oldest piece of church material in London. Many brasses remain in the interior. (The brass rubbing centre which used to be located at All Hallows is now closed). Three outstanding wooden statues of saints dating from the 15th and 16th centuries can also be found in the church, as can an exquisite Baptismal font cover which was carved in 1682 by Grinling Gibbons for ₤12, and which is regarded as one of the finest pieces of carving in London. In 1999 the AOC Archaeology Group excavated the cemetery and made many significant discoveries.^[6]

"The church has a museum called the Undercroft Museum, containing portions of a Roman pavement which together with many artefacts was discovered many feet below the church in 1926. The exhibits focus on the history of the church and the City of London, and include Saxon and religious artefacts. Also on display are the church's registers dating back to the 16th century, and notable entries include the baptism of William Penn, the marriage of John Quincy Adams (which is the only marriage of a U.S. President that occurred on foreign soil), and the burial of Archbishop William Laud.^[7] Laud remained buried in a vault in the chapel for over 20 years; it was moved during the Restoration to St John's College, Oxford.

"The altar in the crypt is of plain stone from the castle of Richard I at Athlit in The Holy Land.^[8]

"All Hallows-by-the-Tower has been the Guild church of Toc H since 1922. The church was designated a Grade I listed buildingon 4 January 1950.^[9]

"The Church also has a Carillon which was brought back to working order in the 1970s by Philip Blewett, then a priest at the church, and Desmond Buckley over many weekends." (Link.)

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Photos: Taken by RW  in Oct. 2018 with Iphone while travelling in London.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Hallows-by-the-Tower

                                                                         Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

Sant'Agostino di Catania

Chiesa di Sant' Agostino Church

Catania, Sicily, Italy

"The church of Sant'Agostino was built in the central area of ​​the city. A splendid example of the Catanese Baroque, it was built in 1615 on the design and work of G. Palazzotto, who kept faith with his architectural style, making a valuable contribution to the city of Catania. It was originally dedicated to St. James and only later was dedicated to St. Augustine. In 1637 the Augustinian friars, to approach the inhabited center, flanked their convent to the building, moving from a place near the church of S. Domenico, outside the urban nucleus.

Entrance

"Rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693, the church has a single nave plan and a baroque façade. The interior is embellished by the ancient high altar, made of marble with wooden Crucifix. Then there are six side chapels with marble altars, adorned with statues depicting St. Augustine, St. Heart, St. Francis of Assisi and Our Lady of Fatima, works of Giuseppe Stuflesser from Ortisei.

The entrance to the Church, raised above the road surface, has four columns in Corinthian style and a symmetry between the lower and upper part of the building. At the top we find a window grafted on columns that facilitates the entry of sunlight into it. On the outer margins there are two statues depicting Saint Augustine who wins the heretics and St. Thomas of Villanova who gives alms to the poor.

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Photos: Taken by RW  in Oct. 2018 with Iphone while travelling in Italy.

Link 1: https://www.google.ca/search?q=Chies+S.Agostina,+G.+Pallazzotto,+sicily&rlz=1C1KYPB_enCA770CA770&tbm

Link 2: http://www.cassiciaco.it/navigazione/monachesimo/chiese/italia/sicilia/catania.html

                                                                         Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)