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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. |
