Solemn High Mass at St. Mary's Church Clapham

St. Mary's from Clapham Park Road.

Fr. Dominic O'Toole is Parish Priest at the beautiful St. Mary's Clapham, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1849. The church was designed in a Gothic style by William Wardell and was solemnly opened and blessed by Cardinal Wiseman on May 14th 1851 during a service beginning at 5.30am to avoid local unrest due to the growing influence of what was deemed the menace of Roman Popery!

Fr. Dominic is one of my dearest friends and I have been deeply privileged to have been invited to his first and, some years later, his final profession and his ordination by Cardinal Keith O'Brien. Dominic is God Father to my son John and is the person I have to thank for encouraging me and supporting me to study the faith at Maryvale.

On Saturday 13th October 2012, Fr. Dominic is going to say a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form, with some beautiful music, to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the consecration of the Church.



This really is a beautiful church, and Fr. Dom is a great young priest (same age as me actually- so very young!) who deserves as much support as can be mustered! Why not come along and celebrate with him? He has promised to provide a brief interview I can post up here afterwards about the experience and what gave him the idea! If you have any questions you would like to ask him, please post them in the comments section and I will make sure they are put to him.

Dom and I on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, on the occasion of his first profession.


St. Mary's side chapel

St. Mary's Clapham

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