Our Lady and St Edmund of Abingdon

Introduction

Our Lady and St Edmund of Abingdon in Abingdon, within the Diocese of Portsmouth, was built to the designs of William Wardell in 1857 and extended by the construction of the nave to the designs of George Goldie in 1865. The church was erected by the local landowner, Sir George Bowyer Bart., who lived at Radley House.

History

The first building campaign started with the eastern end of the church, including the chancel and south chapel, together with the cloister passage which connected the church to the presbytery, which was also built in this first phase. The completed church was opened in October 1865. The bellcote was added in 1884 and replaced a spirelet. In 1974, as a result of the Second Vatican Council, the sanctuary was reordered by Austin Winkley with the loss of the original altar. In 1859 Father John O'Toole, Parish priest in Abingdon, asked Bishop Grant (Southwark) for some Sisters to found a Convent in Abingdon.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is built of Marcham stone walling with a tiled roof. The church has a nave of four bays with nave aisles to either side and a chancel with a Lady Chapel to its south side. The church is joined to the presbytery by a cloister passage which runs east-west. The east chancel window, showing scenes from the life of the Virgin and St Edmund, is by Hardman.

The lights in the Lady Chapel showing the Virgin and individual saints are by Clayton and Bell. The Lady Chapel has a stone altar with carved frontal in the style of Pugin showing three scenes from the life of the Virgin set in quatrefoil frames. Pillars in the north aisle are inscribed with the names of saints associated with Abingdon and with the patron, Bowyer. The north aisle contains a medieval statue of the Virgin, found at Culham and brought here and painted in the mid-C20.

The statue of Our Lady of Abingdon is English, medieval, polychromed stone. In the 1950s, in preparation for the Church's centenary, the parish priest had the statue restored by the sculptor Philip Lindsay Clark, with the assistance of a Benedictine monk.

The south aisle extends for the full length of the nave and the north aisle only extends for two bays at the eastern end of the nave. An additional northern aisle with organ chamber extends beyond and connects with the flank of the vestry hall. The west front has two bays divided and flanked by offset buttresses with gabled tops. The eastern gable end has a five-light traceried window below which is a carved, square ashlar panel showing Christ Crucified.

The south arcade consists of three, wide arched openings, contrary to the pattern of four bays indicated by the roof and the rhythm of the north arcade. The chancel, side chapel and organ chamber are all connected by lateral arches. The nave and chancel have wagon roofs and the side aisles have panelled roofs.

Music and liturgy

Most of the hymns are taken from the Laudate Hymnal, but the repertoire also includes motets, classical music and music composed by some of the choir's members. Eucharistic Ministers are commissioned primarily to assist the Parish Priest with the distribution of Holy Communion at Masses in Church, and also take Holy Communion to the sick and housebound in the Parish. Many of the altar servers have joined The Guild of St Stephen, a group that brings together those who serve at the Altar to help them foster a reverence for all they do and to participate more fully in liturgies.

All readings during the Masses at Our Lady and St Edmund are undertaken by a group of volunteers, usually two readers for each Sunday Mass. The parish has been recognised as a Live Simply parish, with the award presented in the course of a special liturgy at Sunday Mass in January 2018.

Parish life

The Grandparents' Association from the parish built a Prayer Garden at St Edmund's Catholic Primary School. The parish has a Confirmation group that went on retreat at Coldash. The parish has a youth group that meets for activities. The parish has an SVP group and a CAFOD group.

The parish has a team of volunteers who run the Children's Liturgy. The parish has a group of volunteer altar servers.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The parish has a bereavement support group that ministers to grieving parishioners and their families. An annual Mass in November is offered for all the deceased and for the bereaved. A bereavement book at the back of the church allows people to write thoughts or prayers.

A local SVP group established in 2014 mainly visits the housebound. The parish joined the Warm Spaces initiative in Abingdon in January 2023.

A Grandparents' group meets monthly to socialise, pray, and support each other. Couples prepare for marriage via the Preparing Together course and FOCCUS.

A Confirmation programme is offered for all young people from year 8 and above in the Parish of Abingdon. Baptism preparation for children is led by a group of dedicated lay catechists.

Children ordinarily prepare to receive First Holy Communion around the ages of 7-8 (Year 3), including preparation for First Reconciliation. A Children's Liturgy provides an adapted Liturgy of the Word during Mass on Sundays for children from Reception to the end of Year 6. The Children's Liturgy has two groups: a younger group for Reception to the start of Year 3, and an older group for Year 3 to Year 6. The parish belongs to the Church in Abingdon, a union of 14 different Christian congregations in Abingdon.

Visiting

The church is open for private prayer during the day when Masses are not taking place. Masses can be viewed on live streaming. At the back of the church, pictures of those who have died during the year are displayed so people can pray for them.