The Bulletin and Sunday Sermon are available on the Newsletter page.
Served by Monks of Belmont Abbey
Parish Priest:
Rev Dom Matthew Carney O.S.B.
Tel: 01946 692342
ST. BEGH'S PRIORY CHURCH.
PARISH ANNUAL REPORT.
Fr. Matthew's annual report to parishioners is available by following the link below.
PARISH_PRIEST_REPORT_BOOKLET_2009._2.doc
REMEMBERING US IN YOUR WILL.
Have you ever thought about leaving money to the Parish in your will? If you would like to do this please make use of the following details.
“I give to the Belmont Abbey Mission Trust (Charity Number 226277) for the benefit of the Parish of St. Begh's in Whitehaven the sum of £xxxx (written in numbers and in words.), free of duty and I declare that the receipt of the Business Director at Belmont Abbey, Hereford, HR2 9RZ, shall be a good discharge.”
In recent years a number of bequests have been received by the parish which have enabled lots of repairs and maintenance to be carried out to the Churches in our care.
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PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
BISHOP MICHAEL and Abbot Paul have asked for regular prayers to be said for vocations to the priesthood.
Gracious God, Give our priests courageous faith in the face of confusion and conflict, hope in time of trouble and sorrow and steadfast love for you and for all your people. May they grow in holiness and may the light of your truth shine through their lives and their good works. We ask your blessing upon our seminarians and all men who are discerning a call to the Priesthood. We also beg you to stir into a flame the call to the Priesthood that you have placed into the hearts of many men in our own Diocese, Belmont Abbey and throughout the church. We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, our Eternal High Priest. Amen.
St. John Vianney, Patron of all Priests, Pray for us and for all our priests.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN WHITEHAVEN.
The Catholic Church began its mission in Whitehaven in 1706, when Dom Francis Rich, a Benedictine of Saint Gregory's, then at Douai, arrived in Cumberland to serve the growing Catholic population. This began a much appreciated Benedictine presence in Whitehaven, which continues to this day.
The Church on the present site was built in 1834 and designed by A. Welby Pugin. At the time it was regarded as one of “the most striking” Catholic churches,“ altogether bold and novel.” The cost of the whole structure was £5,000. One hundred and fourteen years later, in 1982, it cost over £100,000 simply to repair, restore and re-decorate St. Begh’s to its original standard of stability and finish. Included in the restorations were facilities for Mothers and Babies, for Children's Liturgy, for recording cassettes for the sick and access for the disabled.
The foundation stone of the Priory Church was laid by Bishop Dorian in 1865, during the incumbency of Dom Dominic Lynass, and the Church was opened for worship on 29 October 1868. The Church was dedicated to Saint Gregory and Saint Bega, an Irish princess, who fled to Cumbria to begin her mission to the native people.
St. Begh's - Before the spire was removed
In 1993, further work took place to enhance the beauty and dignity of the Sanctuary. A permanent stone altar was erected and the Sanctuary floor was re-carpeted. The pinnacle tower, that had originally housed the Most Blessed Sacrament, which had been removed from the church was, once again, after restoration, returned to the Sanctuary as a fitting Sanctuary House, thereby restoring the Blessed Sacrament to its central point of importance and reverence. The ceilings in the Lady Chapel and also St. Benedict’s Chapel were restored to their former glory, with appropriate stencilling. The old oak gates were also returned to the side chapels and all the Sanctuary was restored. The Miners' Chapel at the back of the church, containing the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, was also restored, thereby emphasising the importance of the history of the mining community of this town. Today, St. Begh’s church is considered to be one of the finest Catholic Churches in the north of England.
View of St. Begh's Church
Today the Mission is served from Belmont Abbey, Hereford and the local people are still deeply appreciative of their Benedictine heritage. Saint Begh's is seen as the mother Church of the area and is a worthy monument to all the devotion and hard work of many generations of Clergy and Lay people. The monastic Community are always delighted to welcome visitors, believing Benedictine hospitality to be one of the foundation stones of their apostolate.
The name "Begh" is a derivation of "Bega" or "Bees". At St. Bees was a priory in the village then known as Kirkybee, (Church town of Bega), a name which enshrines the legend of an Irish princess, who had dedicated herself to Christ.
The following information has been taken from the booklet produced for the 125th Anniversary Celebrations of St. Begh's Priory Church in 1993. Please click on the link to read more
The Christian Faith Our Heritage
Bega fled the royal court rather than marry a prince from Norway. Tradition states that she was miraculously transported to Cumberland, in England. There St. Oswald counselled her in a hermitage, and St. Aidan received her vows as a nun. Bega founded St. Bee's Monastery. She served as abbess there until her death. She is also remembered in the village of Kilbees, in Scotland. Around her name, and particularly around a bracelet which she left with the community when she sought safety elsewhere, there has grown up a variety of legends.
For a fuller account of the Life and Legend see "In search of Bega" by Daniel Hay (available from the St. Begh's Bookshop).
In this illustration, St. Begh is shown with the staff of an Abbess, a boat for her sea crossing, a lily for her virginity and carrying in her arm the Church of St. Begh.
The Caption, S.BEGHA.ORA.PRO.NOBIS, reads "St. Begh pray for us"
