Corpus Christi

Introduction

Corpus Christi in Covent Garden, London, within the Archdiocese of Westminster, was elevated to the dignity of the Diocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in 2018.

History

In 1872, Archbishop Manning sent Father Cornelius Keens to lease land from the Bedford Estates to build a church. The foundation stone of Corpus Christi was laid on 5th August 1873. Father James Kearney was appointed parish priest in 1908, succeeding Father John Subra. The final phase of restoration, completed in 2017, tackled the nave and sanctuary with support from the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation.

Dame Maggie Teyte was discovered at a parish concert aged 15. The church was opened on 20th October 1874 by the Cardinal Archbishop. The first phase of restoration, completed in 2013, repaired structural damage and restored the Sacred Heart Chapel.

Architecture and furnishings

The great east window shows four 13th-century saints of the Blessed Sacrament: St Clare of Assisi, Blessed Juliana of Mount Cornillon, St Thomas Aquinas and St Bonaventure. The church has a unique little statue of St Tarcisius, the boy-martyr of the third century. The church has a statue of St Genesius, a professional actor martyred for the faith and patron saint of actors.

The Lady Chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham and was redesigned based on the Holy House of Loreto. The restoration included restoring the statues of Ss Peter and Paul, St Patrick, the Pieta and St Mary Magdalene to their original colours. The restoration included new installations such as Stations of the Cross, new floors, altar rails, chandeliers, doors, and underfloor heating.

Music and liturgy

The church serves as the spiritual home of the Catholic Association of Performing Arts, the Latin Mass Society, and the Corpus Christi prayer group. The Catholic Stage Guild, later renamed the Catholic Association of Performing Arts, continued to connect the church with London’s creative community, counting Sir Alec Guinness among its members.

Parish life

The Catholic Stage Guild, founded in 1911, held its annual Mass at Corpus Christi. In 2023, Corpus Christi became the home of the Catholic Police Guild in London.

The church is known as the Catholic Actors’ Church, the National Catholic Church for actors and all those in the performing arts. The First Monday Mass in the Shrine is offered for the intentions of the Catholic Police Guild in London.

The Catholic Stage Guild was founded in 1911 to encourage spiritual, artistic and social intercourse among Catholics in the theatrical and allied professions. Corpus Christi plays host to an Annual Mass for Catholic actors and artists, and displays the statue of St Genesius with a memorial book honouring deceased Guild members.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The parish provides a guide for preparing funerals based on resources produced by the Diocese of Westminster. The church offers daily Mass, Confession and Adoration as the most central Roman Catholic Church in London. The church provides a place for devotion, stillness and prayer where one can spend time before the Blessed Sacrament, make confession or light a candle. The church offers Confessions in the 30 minutes before all Masses or upon appointment.