St Mary Immaculate and The Holy Archangels, Kelvedon

Introduction

The main church in Kelvedon began its life as a boarding school for boys in 1870.

History

A small colony under Father Augustine Blackall arrived from Barnet in August 1875 and by the feast of Saint Michael (29th September) a large chapel had been fitted up and opened. After the fire in 1886, which caused great damage to the building, it became home to the Franciscan sisters and even counted among its priest Rev. R. D. Byles, who later went down with the “Titanic” on his way to America. Richard E. Rann of Messing purchased the former Wiseman's school and conveyed the property on trust to the Archbishop of Westminster for Catholic purposes.

The Dominican sisters were the last religious group to inhabit the building. The chapel has three altars, two of which are in a separate side chapel. The boys' choir has ample space, and the chapel contains a small organ.

Parish life

The parish covers a large rural part of Essex including 13 villages. The other mass centres are St Bernard at Coggeshall and St John Houghton in Tiptree.

The parish's three churches are part of the Dengie and Blackwater Parish Partnership. The confirmation programme is run in conjunction with Witham (The Holy Family and All Saints) as part of the parish partnership.

The parish Visiting Team is formed by a small group of long-serving parishioners. The Rosary Group meets weekly in the church in Tiptree to pray for parishioners' intentions, combining the Rosary with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Candidates for Confirmation preparation must be ideally 14-16 years old, but individuals can be confirmed at any time from age 14.