by Michael Forbes Smith
The First Roman Catholic Mass in Holy Trinity Church, Bosham, since the Reformation: 17th May 2025
The mission of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, set up by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1888, is to support the Latin (ie Roman Catholic) Christians in the Holy Land and their Latin Patriarchate. However, the personal spiritual development of the knights and dames is also a central charism of the Order and we In the Southern Section of the England and Wales Lieutenancy organise masses and other events to this end.
Holy Trinity, Bosham, is the oldest Christian site in Sussex: when St Wilfrid visited in the 6th Century he found a Christian foundation already there. The tower and part of the chancel are Saxon
and the chancel arch may be that depicted on the Bayeux tapestry recording Harold Godwinson’s visit there in 1064 before sailing to France to meet Duke William. As you enter the south door, on the arch is scratched several “crusader crosses” carved there by knights as they celebrated a final mass before departure on crusade.
It is, of course, today an Anglican church, but when its vicar, Canon Martin Lane, agreed that our Southern Section of the Order could celebrate the first Catholic mass there since the Reformation, we were overjoyed. As we assembled in preparation for our entry procession the local bellringers rang a carillon for us. We then processed solemnly around the church and entered through the south door. Bishop Richard Moth, our Prior, celebrated mass with plainsong that had almost certainly not been heard in the church since the 16th century and lusty hymns familiar to both the large Anglican and Catholic congregation. There was a spellbinding sense of prayer and thanksgiving which reverberated through that wonderful place. And afterwards, on a lighter note, we enjoyed a magnificent lunch at the excellent Millstream Hotel.
It was a fitting way both to re-confirm our commitment to the Order and to pray for the Catholic “Living Stones” and other Christians who live today in such distressing circumstances in the places where Christ himself lived and ministered.
