English Martyrs

Introduction

A window was designed to express the importance of learning, inspired by a priest's commitment to education and his efforts in building English Martyrs' Catholic School and later St Bernard's.

History

On 21 April 2002, a local artist and parishioner was asked to brighten up the church windows as the centenary of the founding of the parish approached in 2008. A window commemorates the foundation of the parish in 1908 and depicts the parish's first chapel alongside the present-day church building. The church building's exterior and interior bear a strong Italian influence. Anthony Naylor and his wife Janet repaired stone-throwing-damaged windows and designed and created artwork, joined by their daughters Ester and Rachel.

Confession is available before and after weekend Masses by request. The parish prays for those who are sick or recovering.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has a series of 14 stained glass windows. A window dedicated to the English Martyrs features a crown and palm, with crosses gilded with gold leaf and containing a ruby at their centre. A window depicts the Holy Spirit descending as a dove, created by layering and acid etching. A window shows a golden chalice turning red, representing the body and blood of Christ’s sacrifice, with the host acid etched.

A window shows two wedding rings encircled around a cross, based on St Cuthbert’s Pectoral Cross. A window shows the seventh century illuminated version of the introductory page of St Matthew’s Gospel from the Lindisfarne Gospel Book. A window depicts the anointing of the sick and last rites, with a vessel of Holy oil in front of olive leaves.

The west end gallery houses the 'Harris of Birmingham' organ, consisting of nineteen ranks across two manuals and pedals in a double case, playable from a detached console. The organ has electro-pneumatic action within the organ case and a Taylor mechanism to the console installed in the 1990s. The Taylor Chime was installed in 1946 and serves as a memorial to parishioners who died in the second world war, with their names inscribed on the bells. The Chime has a baton clavier and is one of approximately forty of its kind in England.

Music and liturgy

The organ was consecrated on 11th July 1954, with Andrew Moore at the keyboard and the BBC Midlands Chorus directed by John Lowe. The choir library holds the music list of Dr. Bird from the 1940s, showing a choral repertoire in the Latin polyphonic school supported by congregational hymns from the 'Westminster Hymnal'.

Visiting

A window displays the badges of local schools, symbolising progression from primary to comprehensive education. A window features grey bars signifying dark days of imprisonment, war, and violence, with white flower buds and a dove carrying an olive branch, inspired by a 1950s Picasso lithograph. A window portrays the phrase 'Ego Sum Lux Mindi' in graffiti style, illustrating the transition from English Latin to Modern English. A window celebrates the input of the Celtic people, featuring a tree of life with shamrock leaves and a broken Celtic knot.

A window depicts the star of Bethlehem with an incorporated star of David, and includes depictions of the magi's gifts. A window shows a total eclipse with a diamond ring effect, symbolising dark moments and returning light, with an illuminated cross on Calvary. A window depicts justice and peace, themes very much in focus in the present time. A window symbolises the Irish as the main builders of the parish, with Anglo/European offerings and an acknowledgement of the Asian contribution to Sparkhill.

Seven windows take their names from the sacraments: Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. A window features a nest with hungry little chicks and a 'cheeky monkey' with mortar board, representing the nursery stage. A window includes a 1960s image of the Earth seen from space, with no discernible landmass, emphasizing unity without bias. A window uses pink colour in the glass created using real gold.

A window includes a Hebrew inscription taken from Psalm 148, 'Praise the Lord from the skies', as translated by Dr Bird. A window includes a beehive at the bottom symbolising all the dedicated workers in the parish, both past and present. A window features a Blue Tit peeping through a broken window, broken by a golf ball in the rough, as a sign of difficult times. A window includes depictions of the magi's gifts: gold as an 8th-century Irish casket, frankincense as a thurible, and myrrh as a copy of a 14th-century Middle Eastern vase.

A window shows baptismal waters showing a progression from darkness to light, symbolising our own transition. A window has four gold pink diamonds in the border representing the specialness and richness of our lives. A window portrays the simplicity and complexity of life. A window shows the equal size of the rings representing the equality between man and woman.

A window includes a sky lark on the top diamond, a very old symbol of the priesthood. A window shows the Alpha and Omega united in Christ, with the quote 'I am the beginning and the end'. A window includes a Cassini Pro and mock barcode signature representing that our pursuit of knowledge never ceases. A window includes squares in the background representing the necessary order within humanity for a healthier future for our planet.