History of Our Churches

Saints Philip & James

SS Philip & James Church was built by Thomas Donnelly (A former Mayor of Bedford) and opened in September 1967. Prior to that, Masses had been said in Brickhill School and local businesses. The Parish was served from St Joseph and The Holy Child in Midland Road until 1969 when the first Parish Priest was inducted. The altar is granite from Ireland and came from the round chapel at Clapham built by the Nuns of the Convent of the Holy Ghost.

Saint Philip, Apostle

St Philip was of Bethsaida in Galilee, and called by our Saviour to follow Him the day after St Peter and St Andrew. He meditated continuously on the law and the prophets, which disposed him for the important discovery of the Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ. He was obedient to the command to forsake all to follow Him and became thenceforth the inseparable companion of His ministry and labours.

Saint James the Lesser, Apostle

St James, also known as James the Younger or James the Just was a cousin of Jesus and brother of St Jude Thaddeus. He was first Bishop of Jerusalem. St James was one of the first to whom Christ appeared after His resurrection. St Paul called him a ‘pillar’ of the Church.

Holy Cross Church Bedford

Holy Cross Church was built and opened in November 1957. It was meant to be a temporary building that would become the parish hall when a “proper” church was built. An Italian order of priests, the Scalabrini Fathers, moved in to say Mass for the large Italian community arriving in the area.

In 1966 the side aisles were added to the church. It was slowly becoming a permanent parish church serving the east side of Bedford and the rural areas out to Great Barford. The Daughters of the Holy Spirit opened their convent in Bradgate Road in 1971. When the Scalabrini Fathers left Goldington in 1972, the Fathers of The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (the Picpus Fathers) took over and served the parish until 2003.

When they left, the Bishop appointed Father Tony Brennan as its first Diocesan Parish Priest.

In October 2007, Holy Cross Church celebrated its 50th Anniversary. Bishop Peter Doyle, Bishop of the Northampton Diocese, celebrated Mass on Saturday 20th October. The church was consecrated with the sprinkling of holy water, the anointing with blessed oil and with incense. The evening was also a celebration for Billy Walsh, who was awarded the Bene Merenti medal by Bishop Peter Doyle, for forty years of service to the church. Mass on Sunday 21st October was celebrated by the Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark, Pat Lynch ss.cc. The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Order (ss.cc.) had served Holy Cross parish for over 25 years. Bishop Pat Lynch also blessed and formally opened the new Pastoral Centre, built during the summer of 2007.

Timeline

Italian Mission became a separate church:

Santa Francesca Cabrini

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