The recently demolished St Mary's Church was, much to the chagrin of those trying to save it, not a consecrated church but the processes involved in creation of a new church involve deep religious practices. A process of Sod Cutting, declaring the land Holy and formal dedication or consecration of the new building had to be followed. In the case of St Mary's in Old Goole this process would take a period of four years, largely blamed on the financial restrictions of the period. What follows are two articles detailing the religious ceremonies taken to make the old church redundant and to for the creation of the new St Mary's church.
New Church Ceremony – 30th June 1933
Cross Erected on Site of Building
Vicar & Facing Difficulties
The first step in the erection of
the new Goole Church of St Mary’s was taken on Saturday afternoon, when legal
church people cut the sods on the site. A short service was held on the church
and a procession was afterwards formed along Swinefleet Road, the gathering
being representative of all the churches in the Parish.
The Vicar (Rev. H. E. Wall, M.A.)
gave an address during the service, saying it was true that the further desire
to see bricks and mortar was displayed for a while, but a very short period of
waiting would satisfy their longing and quieten their impatient. “To-day we
officially cease to own this building and site and become possessed of our new
land, to which we shall proceed presently and there by a solemn ceremony in
initiate the actual of work of building. Our task has been laid upon us and we
must fulfil it. It is certainly not of my seeking. For over fifty years
generations of St. Mary’s church people have made the best use possible of a
building erected for the purposes of a day school and have endeavoured to
infuse into it the spirit of worship. From the beginning it has never been
really adapted for its purpose, as every priest who had had to minister the
sacrament know well, and every choirman too, using the schoolroom and a vestry,
has wished for a building which did not necessitate a walk in the open air
whatever the weather conditions.
“All Sorts of Clergy”
“There had been all sorts of
clergy” attached here, some who succeeded well, others who achieved but
failure, but all alike have been unanimous in asserting a proper building in
order to secure development of the work. My task would have been easier had it
been possible to live nearer and to know the workers more intimately but
circumstances compel me to _ a stranger to many with disadvantage to both of
us, and the difficulties already faced have been made greater by the reason of
delegated authority. There is but one way not overcoming difficulties on which
they had usually vanished.
Explaining the ceremony the vicar
said there were three divisions on the new site, one for the church, one for
the hall, and one for the proposed parsonage. There were three sods for each
site, those for the church being triangular in shape, as a symbol of the ever
blessed Trinity, the base of the centre one facing east and the base on the
other two west, for they looked to the East for Christ’s appearing, while their
lives were lived until they merged with the sun down on the west. There were
three sods for the Sunday school or Church hall, and they were square, school
being a place where lives were built like a building, whilst those on the house
site were round signifying home.
Cross of Possession
The second part of the ceremony was
not quite familiar, and indeed there was no recognised order for such. “It is a
service in initiation of early missionaries,” said the vicar, “who, when first
coming to our native land preached this good news to the chief man and his
followers, and upon acceptance of the message was usually given land for the
two-fold purpose of erecting himself a dwelling and a place for worship. As a
sign of taking possession a cross, often rudely and crudely made, was set up,
marking it with the Christian symbol and so securing its being set apart for
all time as holy ground. An illustration of this is seen in many villages,
where the stone-cross, replacing the wooden one, is surrounded by the village
itself. Our cross now to be set up by the clergy and lay read of out parish will
act as a vivid reminder not only of our own possession, but link us closely to
scenes in our historic past.”
At the site, the clergy and lay
readers of Goole erected the cross on the site of the altar for the new church,
the Rev. W.B. Crowe saying, “In the name and faith of Jesus Christ we erect
this symbol out of holy faith and hereby claim for ever and set apart this
ground for the service of His church and the people. The Lord’s name be
praised.”
The cutting of the three sods
followed. Those turning the sods on the site of the new church were Mrs H. E.
Wall, representing the parochial clergy; Mrs. E. Barley, representing the
parish church-wardens and the Parochial Church Council; and Mrs. Birkitt,
representing the wardens of St Mary’s.
On the site of the hall, the sods
were turned by Mrs Theaker, representing St. Mary’s workers; Mrs Caukill,
representing the Parish Church Wardens and Parochial Church; and Mrs.
Rosindale, representing the St. Mary’s wardens.
On the site of the new parsonage,
Mrs. Shillito and Mrs. Glew performed the ceremony on behalf of the St Paul’s
wardens; Mrs. Nash on behalf of the Parish Church wardens and the Parochial
Church Council, and Mrs Boyes on behalf of the largest organisation, the
Mothers’ Union and Mothers’ Meeting in all parts of the parish.
New St Mary’s Dedicated – 2nd December 1938
Old Ambition Realised
Mayor Attends Service
Bishop of Sheffield’s
“Undiluted Pleasure”
An Old Goole ambition of many
years, which has known many set-backs, was finally realised on Tuesday evening
when the new church of St. Mary was dedicated by the Bishop of Sheffield (Dr L.
H. Burrows). Behind the building of the church, which takes the place of one,
which long ago was counted out of date and insufficient for the needs of the
people, is a storey of disappoints.
After years of hope, work on the
new church was begun in 1933, but financial difficulties caused the operations
to be suspended with the shell of the building completed. The church stood
unfinished for about four years when, a few months ago, a grant enabled it to
be completed.
The grant was one of £2,000 from
the Sheffield Diocesan Board of Finance and it has been made on condition that
some of the money is repaid.
A fine example of modern church
architecture St Mary’s is built of old English brick, and is a church of which
Old Goole and the parish can be proud. The link with the old church, which was
built about 1865, originally as a church day school has not been lost for the
altar, font, pews and bell are among fittings and furnishings which have been incorporated
into the new building.
The altar looks very beautiful in
its new setting under a domed canopy, painted to depict the heavens and the
waxed-oak choir stalls made the broad chancel a notable feature of the
building. Modern concealed lighting also helps considerably to enhance the
beauty of the church.
The first sods of the new church
were out on June 27th, 1933, by the local church workers and the
foundation stone was laid on November 2nd of that year by the
Marchioness Townsend of Raynham. Five years later almost to the day the church
was dedicated.
The church will accommodate 250
people and almost every nook and corner was filled on Tuesday evening. The
dedicated service was attended by the Mayor of Goole (Alderman A. Kirby), who
was accompanied by the deputy Mayor (Alderman T. Temple J.P.), the acting Town
Clerk (Mr A. LAzenby), with the town’s mace resting under the pulpit. The three
South Ward representatives on the Town Council – Councillors V.B. Hudson, H.G.
Gierson and G. T. Medcalf, J.P. – were also present.
The Bishop was assisted in the
service by the Archdeacon of Doncaster (Rev. F.G. Sandford), and the Vicar of
Goole (Rev. L. L. Knighthall, M.A.), the Rev. C. W. Fulljames,
priest-in-charge, the Rev. F. Trow, who acted as Bishop’s chaplain, and the Rev
J.R. Skelhorn. The visiting clergy included the Rev. J. Herring, late Vicar of
Whigift, was the first priest-in-charge of the old St Mary’s, the Vicars of
Hook (Rev. G. H. Platt), Drax (Rev. B. A. Ramskir), Cowick (Rev. C. Norton), Hensall
(Rev. H. Boyes), Swinefleet (Rev. A. K. McGovern) and Canon Youens, of
Brodsworth.
The dedication was carried out
with all the impressive ceremony of the Church of England, the Bishop entering
the church by the south-west door alter knocking three times and the service
including the hymns “Glorious things of Thee are spoken”, “Veni Creator
Spritus”, “We love the place O’God,” “O Worship the King of Heavan” and the 122nd
Psalm.
In his sermon the Bishop said the
season of Advent upon which they had entered stood out for Christians as a
special times for thanksgiving. It also reminded them of the need and virtue of
helpfulness and patience of waiting and he went on to describe the trials of
the people before the coming of the Messiah. There was the duty, neglected by
many, the duty of expectation – and of faith unshaken and unaltered by waiting.
Most important of all was the preparation.
When Christ did come there were
only a few to welcome Him, and a faithful few which followed Him in His
ministry.
Waited in Patience
The season of the Advent was
singularly appropriate to St Mary’s. For twenty-five years they had been
performing the very difficult duty of waiting. There were many who had found
that waiting for so many years caused them to exercise patience. There were not
a few people who had stuck to St Mary’s through all that time of waiting and
had shown that that was the greatest test of faith. When things were got going
exactly right they still waited, expecting and hoping and never lost heart. Now
they had a first rate leader, excellent workers, and a most beautiful church.
“I have dedicated and consecrated
many churches,” said the Bishop, “but I have never consecrated or dedicated one
which gave me such a feeling of undulated pleasure as St Mary’s. There is an
air of church feeling about it. It is quite true, I feel it in some churches,
but not in others."
They had to prepare to receive the
Church as from God, with thanksgiving. It would be no use at all if they did
not do that. They might just as well have built it. Now they got their new
church they must show all around that they had a Christian congregation at St.
Mary’s and they offered to God in all humility love and gratitude their
services of praise and thanksgiving.
Farewell to the Old Church
Continuing a Tradition
“The glory of this latter house
shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts. That passage from
the second chapter of the Prophet Haggai was the text of the Rev. C. W.
Fulljames in his sermon at the farewell service in the old church of St Mary’s
on Sunday evening. Despite the inclement weather there was an excellent
congregation, and appropriate farewell and thanksgiving hymns were sung.
The preacher’s text referred to the
neglected building of a church, the reprovement of the people by the Haggai and
the incitement of them to the building. This was something which I had rung
true in the experience of St Mary’s. Now the present building was becoming
older and more dilapidated from year to year but as with the prophet there had
been upsets and disappointments. The new church had stood unfinished for nearly
four years, and the new building had a been a reproach to them and a _ to God,
and they should thank God that that reproach had been _ _ ever.
The new house of God, continued Mr
Fulljames, was ready for worship and he would like to think that it was a
continuation of the old church. Although it was new, it was founded upon St
Mary’s Church, which had stood for sixty or seventy years. The building homely
and compact as it was, had not been built as a church, but to serve as a church
day school. Fifty years ago the first priest-in-charge had been appointed, and
the church used both as a day school during the week and a church on Sunday.
That enrate (the Rev. Joseph Herring) was still alive, and since his time there
had been fifteen others who had serviced God, and most of them had visions and
plans for the building of a church which would be more worthy of God and the
district. Most of those people, many of them past and gone, had their plans,
but not until now had they been fulfilled, and it his privilege to stand in
that pulpit for the last time.
Mr. Fulljames then asked his
congregation why it was that the church was crowded that night, and sad that
there were deeper things than sentimental reasons. Within those four walls many
of them been baptised, educated, confirms, had attended Communion, and some of
them could look back upon many years of worship and friendship.
They were dependent solei and
wholly upon God, and they must determine, in they were going to carry to the
new church the same spirit which had existed in the past, upon a greater
devotion, giving themselves unthinkingly and wholly.
