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The English Mission
refers to the work done by priests, both secular
and religious, to provide for Catholics in this country
during the time of the Penal Laws. Initially working
underground, and typically from the houses of Catholic
gentry, gradually small chapels and ‘missions’ grew
up around the country, which during less punitive
times became increasingly visible. In order to supply
priests for this work the English Benedictines at
first adopted an unusual system that meant a monk,
once he was ordained, could be sent out of his monastery
to work under the authority of one of two Provincials,
who supervised the missions in the North and South
of the country. Monastic communities, which were
Priories rather than Abbeys, remained small and for
the most part contained the younger monks of the
Congregation, who worked in the schools.
Monks on
the mission were completely integrated in the pastoral
life of the wider Church in this country, and this
has contributed to the particular strength of the
connection between monasteries of today and the local
churches we serve. It also meant that monks were
from time to time appointed as Vicars Apostolic (the
equivalent of Bishops at that time). In these years,
three of our community were appointed Vicars Apostolic
of the Western District, Bishops Philip Ellis (1688-1726),
Laurence York (1741-1770), Gregory Sharrock (1781-1809).
Missionary
work also extended abroad. After the Napoleonic wars,
the British government was responsible for Mauritius,
Australasia and the South Pacific. To provide for
the Catholics in these territories, Dom Placid Morris
was appointed Bishop in 1832 and served in Mauritius
until 1840. He is buried in the Abbey Church at Downside.
Dom Bernard Ullathorne was sent to Sydney at the
same time and worked tirelessly as Vicar Apostolic
in the Penal colonies of Australia, before returning
to England, eventually to become Bishop of Birmingham.
Dom Bede Polding, who became Sydney’s first Archbishop
in 1842, succeeded Ullathorne. He was assisted by
Dom Charles Davis and later by Dom Bede Vaughan,
the brother of the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster,
and he succeeded Polding as Archbishop in 1877.
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