The Assumption of Our Lady

Introduction

The Assumption of Our Lady church in Englefield Green, within the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, is an Italian Romanesque building in Harvest Road, blessed and opened on September 20th 1931. The church was consecrated in honour of the Assumption of Our Lady, and above the high altar hangs a painting of the Assumption by Antonio Palomino.

History

In 1903 Major General Arthur Kennedy Rideout arranged for a priest to ride on horseback from Twickenham to celebrate Mass for Catholics in Englefield Green, and he built a small corrugated iron chapel in his grounds at Sandylands. In 1907 a wooden church was built in Harvest Road and dedicated to Saint Cuthbert, with the original Sandylands chapel added on to form a vestry. During Father Tyndall's time, from 1929 to 1932, parishioners Gerard and Miriam Jurgens offered to buy land and build a church at their own expense to replace the wooden one.

The Diamond Jubilee of the church was celebrated in September 1991. A fine organ was donated to the church by David Greig, founder of a chain of grocery stores. After the new church was built, the old wooden Saint Cuthbert's church served the parish as a church hall.

Sacraments and pastoral care

Baptism preparation is offered three or four times a year, with one in-person session followed by three weekly Zoom sessions. The diocese requires at least twelve months' notice for marriage preparation.

A children's liturgy group serves children aged three and a half to seven years. Volunteer roles are available for the Alpha course.

Visiting

The parish has representatives to the Parish of Weybridge. The parish has a bereavement support team.

Weekday masses are typically celebrated in St Joseph's Chapel, which can be accessed via the door on the left hand side of the Assumption of Our Lady Church. The church is the nearest to Royal Holloway College, being a 5 minute walk from the main site.