Saint Joseph

Introduction

The first Catholic church since the Reformation in Guildford was a wooden army hut from Aldershot, opened on 23rd December 1860 by Bishop Grant. The new permanent church, designed by Mr. Ingress Bell and built by Mitchell & Co of Shalford, was completed in 1884 and consecrated on 12th June 1901.

History

The Guildford Mission was established in 1857 when Captain Francis Salvin allowed his chaplain to celebrate Mass every Sunday in a room over a shop in Upper High Street. In about 1852 land in Chertsey Street was bought by Mr. Edward Collen of Albury on behalf of Cardinal Wiseman as a site for a future church. Father Reginald Fowler was appointed parish priest in 1878 and given the task of building a new permanent church in place of the old hut. Father Fowler remained parish priest for 35 years, retiring in 1913 due to ill health.

Father George le Bosquet arrived on 9th October 1919 and his first task was to complete repairs to the church started by Father Higgins but interrupted during the war. In 1931 Father Terence Fichter replaced Father le Bousquet but had to retire in 1935 due to ill health. Father Alex Hauber came to the parish in 1935 and carried out many alterations including a new aisle to accommodate more people. During the Second World War four masses instead of three were celebrated on Sunday to avoid overcrowding and facilitate evacuation in the event of a bomb attack.

The church escaped damage during the war. The decision was made to sell the church site and rebuild on another site due to parking problems and the interior needing urgent attention. A 199 year lease was agreed with Guildford Borough Council for the Chalk Pit in Foxenden Quarry, on condition that car parking spaces be sublet back to the Council for municipal use. Construction began in Feb 1983 and over 80 piles were driven through the rubble that filled the pit.

The main contractor was R. Mansell of Croydon. During construction, Sunday Mass was celebrated in the hall of the nearby Royal Grammar School, with weekday services in a hall in Falcon Road. The church has a very large roof span. In 1927 a mass centre was opened at Normandy, and one at Cranleigh in 1920.

The current church is built on reinforced concrete pillars with car parking on the lowest level, the church hall next level and the church above. The church balcony was glazed in 2001 to extend the hall's usable space. The current church was consecrated on Saturday 8th September 1984.

Parish life

In 1926 there were about 500 Catholics in the parish, which included Merrow, Bellfields, Rydes Hill, and Stoughton. During the time of a former parish priest, decisions were taken to build new churches at Rydes Hill and Merrow and to transfer Saint Joseph's school to the Rydes Hill site. The new Saint Joseph's school was built at Rydes Hill in about 1960, and later Saint Thomas of Canterbury at Merrow.

Guildford Youth Ministry (GYM) runs weekly formation programmes for young people in school years 3-6, 7-9, and 10-13. The Guildford parishes run a marriage preparation course twice a year, led by a team of five married couples, taking place in St Joseph's Hall.

The parish has a Bereavement Group with a team of trained individuals who listen and journey with people through grief. The parish is keen to take forward work on developing the pastoral needs of older people and those who are sick or disabled. The band leader composed a contemporary Mass setting that has received approval from the Catholic Bishop's Conference of England and Wales.

Regular events

In November the parish holds a service to remember all those who have died. The RCIA runs from late September to May on Tuesday evenings, with participants received into the Catholic Church at Easter.

Sacraments and pastoral care

In autumn 2024 the parish began Journey of Faith: Children's Edition, an eight-month programme for children aged seven and over preparing them for baptism or reception, first Confession, and first Holy Communion. The Baptism Preparation Course for the churches of Saint Joseph, Saint Mary, St Edward and Saint Pius X is held in Saint Joseph's Church hall. Young people in school year 10 and above are invited to prepare for Confirmation.