De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Today is the octave day of the centenary celebration at my Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Joseph in Leigh-on-Sea. You can read my report on the beautiful Mass we had last week here . In that report, I mentioned a couple of reasons why I found the Mass a bit emotional. Another reason the Mass was emotional is that it was probably the last Mass I will attend presided over by my Bishop, the Right Reverend Thomas McMahon. Bishop Thomas overseas a large and varied diocese stretching from East London to the North Sea. Formed in 1917, the Diocese comprises the Administrative County of Essex, the unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock, and the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest. He was born on 17th June 1936 in Dorking, Surrey and grew up in Old Harlow. He was educated at St. Bede’s Grammar School, Manchester, before training for the priesthood at St. Sulpice, Paris. He was ordained on 28th November 1959...

Bishop of Brentwood Thomas McMahon with my Son, William, behind. 9th Nov 2012, Our Lady of Lourdes & St. Joseph Catholic Church Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. On Friday night we attended the wonderful celebration of one hundred years since the first post-Reformation Mass was said in Leigh-on-Sea. There was a Catholic Church in Leigh from earliest times. The Domesday Book of 1086 mentions Leigh or Legra as a small fishing village. By the sixteenth century it had developed into a prosperous port probably because of its excellent position on the busy shipping route to London. At the start of the twenty-first century Leigh is a wonderful, busy town, which though much expanded, retains a unique shopping character and much of its charm, thus it attracts many visitors throughout the year. The 1851 census reveals that there were a few Catholics among Leigh's population of 1,360. At the time Leigh would have been part of the Arch-diocese of Westminster. The priest at Sheerness in Kent...