The Friends Of Arundel Cathedral - Annual Pilgrimage

by Margaret Bamford OBE

The Friends Of Arundel Cathedral - Annual Pilgrimage

September 2022

West Sussex is a beautiful County, steeped in history with many ancient and medieval buildings, and local museums full of excavated precious artefacts. People living in Arundel are proud of the glorious, but not so ancient (1873), Catholic Cathedral, which dominates the skyline; while the truly ancient church of St Nicholas, (1380) is not only architecturally interesting, but its history and relationships with the Castle, Catholicism, and the Norfolk family are fascinating. Both attract historians, academics, and pilgrims from across the world.

Far less well known are two beautiful historic churches in West Grinstead: The Catholic Church of our Lady of Consolation & St Francis, and the Anglican Parish Church of St George. Of all the ancient sites of historical interest in the County these must surely be the two most beautiful and interesting. On a glorious, sunny autumn day in September a pilgrimage

organised by The Friends of Arundel Cathedral made their annual pilgrimage to these gems of Christianity hidden away in the countryside, immaculately preserved and lovingly maintained by small but devoted communities. They were welcomed most warmly by parishioners who provided a welcoming drink and smile. Even with the most limited knowledge of Christianity most British people will be aware that from the 7th Century until the 1500s England was a Catholic country. The infamous consequences of Henry VIII’s wish for a divorce and

the subsequent break from Rome are familiar. Churches were plundered, more than 800 monasteries destroyed, clergy were killed, and the celebration of Mass made illegal. Catholicism was totally proscribed, any breaches incurring violent punishment. The homes of those who sought to protect priests were destroyed. Random raiding parties were ruthless – and cunning. Staves were used to measure walls inside and out to identify discrepancies - secret rooms possibly being used as chapels for the celebration of Mass, and yet in spite of all this there were - mainly wealthy - landowning families who continued to protect and support priests by providing secret chapels and priest holes. It could be the stuff of fiction, and indeed there are innumerable such works, but this was real. One of only a very few sites in Britain remaining undetected. The pilgrims heard how the timing and location of the proscribed celebration of mass was communicated by local Catholic women putting out their washing in secret coded patterns. They also saw for themselves the miniscule ‘priest holes’ in which the clergy would hide from raiding

parties and the hidden chapel at the end of a hay loft! Accessing both was quite challenge for some of the pilgrims. It was clear that 500 years ago the Faithful had to be fit and nimble to climb narrow perpendicular stone steps! Nor could the priests afford to suffer from claustrophobia. The ‘holes’ truly were tiny. Bringing this dark history to life through such vivid illustrations pilgrimage co-ordinater Geoffrey Callister, guided pilgrims knowledgeably through an illustrated history of those dark days of Catholic persecution. The gruesome fates of those priests continuing secretly to practice the celebration of the Mass were testimony to a powerful Faith, as was the Faith of families who risked being discovered to be harbouring offenders. Families such as the Carylls, who were stripped of their home, their wealth and their land but not before, over 200 years, having provided sanctuary for priests and provided their hay loft for the celebration of Mass. The narrative is compelling. During a picnic lunch in the peace and sunshine of the garden at the Shrine, the pilgrims were able to reflect and share thoughts about all

they had heard and seen that morning. Thoughts particularly about the bravery and faith of their predecessors. Sobering indeed. After lunch the pilgrims walked the short distance to St George’s – the Anglican Parish Church. They walked across the land originally owned and farmed by the Caryll family. Fields of grass and cultivated crops, and lovely views of the countryside but, underfoot, bricks and large pieces of mortar – clunky reminders of all that remained of the Caryll’s family home and farm buildings destroyed during the persecutions. Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and in a very different way, St George’s is also rich in

historical artefacts and provides a fascinating 800-year-old social history of its community. An abundance of named family pews, stone tombs, sculptures, and documents carefully preserved, are a treasure trove of how communities lived through the ages. There certainly wasn’t sufficient time to absorb it all. But appetites whetted it certainly will not be long before another trip is planned.

For further information visit www.arundelcathedralfriends.uk; or telephone 01903 884567